


Death, the Destroyer of Worlds

by MsMitty



Series: Secret Sisterhood: Extras [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asexual Character, Asexual Relationship, Civil War Team Iron Man, Comic Book Science, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) Feels, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Parent Tony Stark, Protective Tony Stark, The Darkhold (Marvel), Time Travel, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-05 17:37:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 73
Words: 250,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20492657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsMitty/pseuds/MsMitty
Summary: "I murdered billions. He thinks that's cute."Other than an unwavering loyalty for her father, the profound love of an evolving AI, and a mind brilliant enough to invent time-travel, Ana Maria Stark has nothing to make her special in a brave new world of gods and monsters. And yet, she somehow ends up being the perfect heiress in Thanos' eyes. This is her story.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys. I know it's been a while, but I'm back, with the Destroyer of the Worlds AU I promised. For those who don't know, this is a spin-off to the Secret Sisterhood Trilogy, but you might as well start reading with this one. I guess even from the prologue, it's obvious how dark this story is going to be, but I still want to remind you that it's not for the faint-hearted. It's not pure angst for the sake of angst, but this is the timeline Ana basically makes all the wrong choices. There will be also mentions of violence, sexual harassment, and suicidal thoughts. Nothing too explicit, but proceed at your own caution.
> 
> Anyway, I felt like a warning was in order because most people thought even the original trilogy was too depressing, but that's all. I'll try to update once or twice a week. I'm busier than ever these days, and I've decided to get more serious about writing original fiction. But I've put a lot of effort into this story as well, and I want to stay motivated for it. That's why I've decided to start posting it sooner. So, please consider leaving a review! Reviews keep me going!

"He did it," the blue meanie said, stating the obvious. Nebula was her name, he remembered. She and Tony were the only ones left on the desolated planet. Everyone else was gone. Those morons who called themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy, the stupid wizard who had handed Thanos the Time Stone, claiming there was no other way, and the kid… God, the kid. Peter.

"_When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive."_ The way Thanos had said that, it had sounded more like a promise, a reassurance than a threat. Tony wondered how many of the "survivors" would actually survive. Since the massacre was random, there was no way to estimate how big the real apocalypse would be.

It had started out a good day. He and his fianceé were jogging in the Central Park, he had even convinced Ana to tag along. Pepper had finally asked her to be the maid of honor, and much to everyone's relief, she had said yes. Things were starting to get better at last. And then, they had seen a spaceship hovering above the city, and everything had gone to hell once again.

He picked up his smashed helmet, and examined the tracker inside. Of course, it had been broken. It wasn't beyond repair, though. He just needed some wires, and scrap metal. There was plenty of both lying around…

"What are you looking for?" Nebula asked.

He took him some time to find his voice again. "I… I need to fix my tracking device."

"No one's coming for us. We should fix that ship instead and get out of here as soon as possible."

"My daughter has the coordinates of this planet. She'll come. In the meantime, I'll make sure we're easier to find."

Nebula made no comment, and he continued his search for the materials. His fingers occasionally went to the sealed wound in his torso, to make sure he wasn't bleeding. He had been so scared when Thanos had stabbed him. Not of death itself, but the idea that Ana might come here, only to find his lifeless, impaled body…

"How do you know your daughter is alive?"

Tony froze on the spot. He could see that she wasn't trying to taunt him or anything, but he gritted his teeth angrily nevertheless. "I just do."

"You love her," she observed, as if she was witnessing a rare phenomenon.

Right, someone had said she was the adopted daughter of Thanos. This girl probably had no idea what an actual father-daughter relationship was supposed to be like. "I do."

"What about that spider boy?"

"Spider-man," he corrected her firmly.

"Was he your son?"

"No. We weren't… related."

Nebula sprang to her feet. "You fix your tracker, I'll fix the ship."

"Deal."

She had taken maybe five steps away from where she had been sitting when a portal opened and Thanos appeared again.

"You," Nebula snarled, and charged at him.

With a lazy, effortless slap, Thanos parried her attack and sent her flying off. He wasn't here for her. He had all the six stones now, and Tony was completely defenseless. Too proud to surrender, he stood as tall as possible, and looked him in the eye. But when Thanos came closer, he realized something was very wrong with the gauntlet. It had been charred, along with his arm. It had to be still functional to some degree, though, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to teleport here. "If you want me to fix _that_, don't bother."

"I want to show you something. Come." His free hand grabbed Tony's arm, and then, they were no longer on Titan. Thanos had brought them onto a spaceship.

"Look," he said softly, gesturing at the window.

Tony looked out and saw the remains of another dead planet. Its condition was much worse than Titan, though. At least Titan was still intact. This one, on the other hand, wasn't. Most of it was gone; only a fragment of crust and some hot magma beneath it had remained. Millions of pieces of tiny rocks were floating around them. If he had to guess, he would say it had been cracked open like an egg by some unnatural force. Hopefully, it was uninhibited when that had happened.

"Why are you showing me this?"

"Oh, Stark… Don't you recognize your own home?"

The cruel question hung in the air for what felt like an eternity. What? Was this… Earth? "No," he said, shaking his head wildly. "No, this is one of your tricks… You're using the Reality Stone on me."

_He's lying_, he reminded himself. Thanos was just playing a sick game to convince him that he wasn't as evil as everyone thought. To prove that he could be much more merciless if he wanted to be. The Earth itself couldn't be gone. That was something beyond even _his_ nightmares.

"This is real. You know it is." He took off the Gauntlet to prove his point, and set it aside.

Thanos was right. Deep down, he knew this wasn't an illusion or anything. He knew what an illusion felt like, thanks to the Maximoff girl. He collapsed on his knees. Everyone he had tried so hard to protect had died a horrible death. Tony had traveled to another freaking planet, in another freaking galaxy, ready to sacrifice his own life, and yet somehow managed to become the only survivor, just as he had feared. Still, he was almost glad that at least Peter wasn't around to see this shit. Almost.

"Why? You said half of humanity would still be alive… You promised!"

"I did. _This_ wasn't me. Your world was already destroyed by the time I came for the Mind Stone. Now we're truly alike. In fact, your story is even more tragic than mine, for this is your own daughter's doing."

At the mention of Ana, Tony found the strength to get back on his feet. "Leave her out of this, or I swear I'll find a way to kill you this time."

"Oh, but it was _you_ who brought her into this. She was coming to Titan with you, wasn't she? But you sent her back, told her to warn the others against me. Of course, she knew that wasn't going to be enough. You both did. So, she did something no one else was brave enough to do. She turned that Inhuman friend of hers into a weapon that could stop me. It would've worked, if they hadn't accidentally destroyed the planet first. Ana tried again and again, until she realized she had to give up to break the loop. That's when I came."

"What loop?" he forced himself to ask. He had always feared that the world would tear Ana apart, not the other way around. But it was what had happened. Literally. He had to know. He had to know what exactly had gone wrong.

"It doesn't matter anymore. Do you know what the Kree call her, the Inhuman?"

"I don't know, and I don't care."

"The Destroyer of Worlds," Thanos answered his own question.

Tony remembered the famous words of J. Robert Oppenheimer, spoken after witnessing an atomic bomb test. _"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."_ In fact, Tony knew his dad had been there with Oppenheimer during the Trinity test. He must have heard those words first-hand. No doubt there was some tragic irony here.

And then, there was another saying, not as famous as Oppenheimer's, but no less true: _"You Starks don't know the difference between saving the world and destroying it."_ The Maximoff girl had turned out to be right, after all.

"Fools," Thanos went on. "Daisy Johnson was nothing but a tool, and tools are… disposable. Nevertheless, she was what the Kree wanted, so I gave her to them. Let them flaunt themselves."

"Where's Ana?" Judging by the way Thanos spoke, Ana was alive. Tony focused on that thought. He had to find her and get far, far away from Thanos. Where they would go, he didn't know. They would figure something out.

"You've proven me wrong. I didn't think you'd forgive her so easily."

"She's my daughter."

"She killed your woman, too," Thanos reminded.

He tried very hard not to picture Pepper getting swallowed by a wave of magma, or her frozen dead body floating in space. _And I killed JARVIS. She forgave me for that._

Thanos gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You should be proud, Stark. For you fathered Death herself, the true Destroyer of Worlds."


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the first two-third of this chapter is the same with the first chapter of The Heiress. It's something I did on purpose, to show how much difference the time-travel makes, so don't be confused if it seems a bit too familiar to you. By they way, if you don't want any spoilers for this story, don't read any parts of the original trilogy. They're full of major spoilers. I should've mentioned that in the previous chapter, sorry.

Some might say being a mid-year graduate sucked. As someone who liked doing things as quietly as possible, Ana begged to differ.

With fewer graduates attending, the commencement in December had been shorter, and less crowded than the one in June was going to be. The thought had made it easier for Ana to give the valedictory speech. Also, Pepper had taken the matter into her own capable hands and written something for her; all she had had to do was to read it out loud, word for word, while wearing a proud smile. But more importantly, her dad hadn't embarrassed her by not showing up.

Graduating _summa cum laude_ from MIT. At the age of 17. It was kind of becoming a family tradition. But such things usually came at a price. Her case was no exception. She had always been the youngest, and therefore, the most vulnerable one around. When she was 12, her dad had shipped her off to a boarding school in New York, and there, she had been the perfect target for the bullies. She hadn't told anyone anything. After three years in New York, she had been admitted to MIT, and only then, she had told Pepper why she didn't have any friends.

At college, people were at least more mature, and most of the time they knew when to mind their own business. But when they approached her, it was always because they wanted something from her. If high school had been hell, MIT had been purgatory. But then, Ana would gladly settle for purgatory. She had learned not to expect much from people. Even from her own father.

But he, Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy had all come to her graduation. After the ceremony, Tony had taken them to the fanciest restaurant in Massachusetts. Ana had expected him to announce his decision to send her abroad for a graduate degree or something. Instead, he had said her research on the quantum physics was quite impressive, and offered unlimited funding to help her make time-travel possible.

So, Ana had accepted the offer, and returned home. The boarding school thing had never been discussed since then. It was as if it had never happened. You didn't get to question your dad's decisions if you knew you had been dumped on his expensive doorstep when you were a baby, and he had been kind enough to take you in. Well, it wasn't like he constantly reminded her of the fact that she had never been wanted. In fact, he never had. Not intentionally, at least. Another reason not to be an ungrateful brat…

_"You are not authorized to access this area."_

The warning could faintly be heard from said area, which happened to be Ana's room. She sighed. It must have been another nosy bimbo, poking around the mansion. There had been no shortage of them since she had returned.

She could see the time on the glass panels. It was 07.05 AM now. Ana had woken up three hours ago, and had been contemplating about whether she should initiate a somewhat sentimental conversation with her dad before he left for Afghanistan since then. Well, his jet had actually been scheduled to leave about an hour ago, but as usual, he was apparently in no hurry.

_Poor Rhodey_, she thought as she dragged herself out of the bed.

Thankfully, she had a private bathroom, and a kitchen—as well as a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean—so that she could complete her morning routine without having to deal with any of the stupid "guests."

She was sipping her coffee and waiting for the eggs to boil when JARVIS said, "Miss Stark, your father is preparing to leave the house."

"Where's he?"

"In the master bedroom."

Ana decided to see him. Not that he would miss her terribly if she didn't, but it was still a part of the "not being an ungrateful brat" thing.

His door was open, and she found him choosing a tie. He wasn't wearing a suit, but he was probably going to change into one later, for the demonstration.

"Good morning."

"Morning, kid. Here to say goodbye?"

She nodded, and then asked, "When will you be back?"

"Why? Is your boyfriend coming over?"

"I don't have a boyfriend," she said, and it was true. But the question confused her. He had never asked her something like that before. Was he just messing with her, or did he really want to know?

Well, she had dated a couple of guys at MIT… But just like the so-called friends, they had thought being around the heiress to Stark Industries would make them rich, or at least famous. It had been okay, though. She hadn't let any of them use her. Actually, in a way, she was the one who had used them. She hadn't wanted to graduate from college a virgin. That had had to be fixed.

_Don't give people another reason to laugh at you._

It was never about what she "gave" them, she had figured that out a long time ago. Still, old habits died hard. And she was definitely not going to tell her dad when, or why she had lost her virginity. Sex was overrated anyway. She had more important things to worry about.

"No? Or, is it a girlfriend?" he casually asked this time.

Okay, so, he did want to know…

"Why the sudden interest?" she asked, trying to keep her voice equally casual.

He shrugged. "Nothing. It's just… You don't talk much these days."

"Well, that's because I don't have much to tell. If you must know, I'll just be busy trying to figure out how to stabilize a hypothetical portal in the very fabric of the fourth dimension, and failing spectacularly at that."

Finally he picked a tie, and put it in the garment bag hanging on the wardrobe. It was the one she had given him for last Christmas. _Coincidence_, she told herself. He probably didn't even remember that it was a gift from her.

"I'll take a look at that simulation when I get back, okay? Just hang on for two days."

Of course, he was dying to be a part of this. What kind of genius wouldn't be interested in time-travel? Was it why he had suddenly decided to be so… decent?

"No."

He looked at her, puzzled. "Why not?"

"I don't want you to waste your time with this. My professors at MIT actually said the theory was too far-fetched to even bother."

"Yeah, that's what they always say… Just ignore them, kid."

"Are you sure? Maybe I should heed their advice. I mean, professors earn their titles for a reason."

"And they're all broke for a reason."

Ana wondered what his definition of "broke" was.

"Look, Dad, you taught me everything I know, but I need to see if I can do this on my own. You have to let me prove myself."

"Boss?" Happy interrupted them. "Hey, Ana."

She smiled at him, grateful for the interruption. "Hi!"

"Yeah, you go ahead, Happy, I'm coming down in a sec." Apparently, he wasn't going to be easily interrupted this morning. Which was unusual for someone who had the attention span of a goldfish.

Happy took the garment bag on the wardrobe and the suitcase on the bed. "Anything else, sir?"

"No… But hey, how about a race?"

Happy grinned. "You're on!"

After Happy left, there was a moment of awkward silence in the room. Ana wondered if he expected a hug or something, but it was better to play it safe.

"Dad," she simply said instead. If she didn't say this now, she was going to regret it. "Be careful over there."

He just gave a brief nod in response before heading out of the room, but she could see that her concern had made him happy. This had been a really weird goodbye.

Ana returned to her kitchen, and decided to check her e-mails while having breakfast. She sometimes received e-mails from other scientists who wanted to discuss her theory. Such an ambitious work wouldn't go unnoticed. But this morning, there was only one e-mail, a job offer from Momentum Labs. Last summer, she had had an internship there, as Dr. Lucy Bauer's assistant. It was something she had done to prove the world that she could get out of her comfort zone and work for other people if she needed to. But Ana had once overheard Dr. Bauer and her husband talking about some magic book that could show a person what they wanted to know the most, which, of course, went against every law of physics. It hadn't been easy to work for someone whose sanity she doubted after that. Or maybe, it was just some sort of scam. Either way, she wasn't going back there. Technically, she was working for Stark Industries anyway… from home. If her project succeeded, it was going to be used by Stark Industries.

After breakfast, she went to see Pepper and give her her birthday gift. Pepper was in the living room, working, but she put her laptop aside when she saw Ana.

"Morning, birthday girl!"

"Hey, Ana… I didn't know you were up."

"Yeah, I wanted to see Dad before he left." She handed her the small box wrapped in silver paper. "Happy birthday!"

"Ana, you didn't have to…"

"Go ahead, open it."

She opened it, and smiled when she saw her new smartwatch. It was much more elegant, and feminine than the other smartwatch models out there.

"It's just a prototype, but totally functional, and in sync with the Stark Industries Central Database, so it should serve you well," she explained.

"Wait, you made this by yourself?"

"I had to work with a jewelry designer, but yeah, the tech is all mine."

"Wow… This is so thoughtful, thank you."

Yep, she was impressed. "Dad didn't even remember, did he?"

"No, but he asked me if I had any plans today."

"Do you?" she asked, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to know the details. Pepper was just too gorgeous to remain single forever. One day, someone was going to steal her from the Starks.

"Well, I need to run some errands, but I can't go home early anyway."

"Why not?"

"I think my friends are throwing me a 'surprise' birthday party at my place tonight. Would you like to tag along?"

And couldn't help but sigh in relief. "No, but you're welcome to hide here if you wish."

She laughed. "I don't think it will be_ that_ bad. Perks of not having too many friends, eh? Seriously, though, if you don't want to be alone…"

"No, it's fine. I'll be busy anyway."

"Building a time machine?"

"It's more like a portal, actually, but call it whatever you want."

"You know you have unlimited funding, right? You can afford to assemble a team."

"I'm more efficient when I work alone."

Her dad always said hardware was more reliable than humans, and he was right. Hardware didn't judge you, bully you, take advantage of you, or creep you out. Hardware just did its job.

"How long have you been studying this theory?

Ana thought for a moment. "Two years, I guess… Why?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing. Why? Of all things you can focus on, why time-travel?"

It was easy to see where this conversation was going. But she was prepared. "It's because someone has to start from somewhere. And I want to be that someone."

"So, this has nothing to do with your mother?"

"No."

"You're a good daughter, Ana. Wanting some answers won't change that."

"Okay, maybe it has something to do with my mother," she finally admitted. "If I could go back to the day Dad found me—"

"Tony tried to find her," she said suddenly. "More than once."

"I'm sure he did…"

"It's not what you think it is. He wasn't trying to get rid of you. As a matter of fact, it was the opposite. He was going to tell her to legally give up her parental rights. I think the possibility of a custody battle scared him."

She looked at Pepper, taken aback. She had had no idea. But given his reputation, that was a battle he _might_ actually lose. After all, he only had an army of lawyers, not wizards. Deep down, the thought unsettled her, but she reminded herself that there was nothing to fear. For seventeen years, no one had come for her. That was unlikely to change after this point.

"And?"

"Nothing… He couldn't find her."

Well, at least he had tried. It was nice to know. "Wait… Did _he_ ask you to question me?"

"Believe it or not, he does care about you."

"Okay, that explains why he was so weird this morning."

"Weird how? What did he do?"

"Never mind," she said evasively. "I'll be in the shop."

She went down the stairs, punched in the passcode, and crossed to the holotable. "JARVIS, give me last night's test results."

JARVIS obeyed. Last night's test results were, as expected, a fiasco. So, even iridium wouldn't work as a stabilizer… She had to find something else.

* * *

_"Miss, incoming call from Colonel Rhodes."_

"What?" Ana grunted, rubbing her eyes in the dark. Indeed, she could hear her phone buzzing somewhere nearby. "JARVIS, what time is it?"

"It is 03.17 AM," JARVIS replied, turning the lights on.

She reached over the nightstand to grab the phone. "Rhodey?"

"Hey, sweetie… Sorry I woke you up. But there's something, and, uhm… I wanted you to hear it from me."

"What's going on?" she asked, still half-asleep.

She heard him let out a sigh before replying. "On the way back to the base, our convoy was ambushed. And Tony… They've captured him, Ana."

Ana shot up in the bed.

This was exactly what she had feared, why she had wanted to tell her dad something nice before he had left. Now her fears had come true, but her mind was refusing to process it. Human brain did bizarre things like this to protect itself.

"Ana? Talk to me!"

She had to gulp twice before asking the next question. "Is he…"

"No, I think they wanted him alive."

She wasn't sure if this was supposed to make her feel better. Why? Why had they wanted him alive? To torture him to death? To film his torture, then post it on the Internet, and make an example of him? She was too scared to ask these to Rhodey, though.

"What now?" she simply asked instead.

"Now, I won't rest until we find him." His voice was full of determination.

"Okay," she whispered.

"Look, I've already called Pepper. She must be on her way to the mansion by now, you won't be alone."

"Thanks."

"I got to go now, but I'll call you again as soon as I can."

"Be careful over there," she said, but shivered when she remembered that it was the last thing she had told her dad.

"I will. Stay strong, sweetie," he said, and hung up.

JARVIS was quiet. So was Ana. But she didn't think she could go back to sleep. She stumbled out of the bed, and started walking around the mansion, as if she had been hypnotized, until she found herself in the workshop, looking at the two framed family pictures on his desk. Tony Stark as a kid, with his father, and Tony Stark as a father himself, with a ten-year-old Ana.

Unlike some might think, he hadn't always been a terrible dad. They used to have a lot of fun here in the workshop when she was a kid. He would teach her how to build an engine, code a program, or use the holotable. Yes, in the meantime, he was still the egocentric playboy to the rest of the world. Yes, he loved drinking, partying, and gambling. But he also equally loved spoiling his little girl. At least until sending her off to New York and ruining everything.

Was it him who had ruined everything, though? Perhaps Ana should have just properly asked him why he had done what he had done, instead of giving him the cold shoulder. Perhaps he wasn't being weird that morning, he was just being a father again. And what had she done? She had scolded him. For trying to help her.

* * *

Ana was grateful to Pepper and Happy for the emotional support, but she eventually asked them to leave. They deserved a break. And they deserved to look for a new job if they secretly felt like they would soon need it. Right, after all this time, they were like family. But Ana understood that business was business. No one had to trust a teenager with their career.

Rhodey sometimes called her, to let her know that they were "doing everything they could," but Ana knew he only called to see if she was okay. Obadiah called once, too, and after a few cold words of consolation, he told her that the board of directors wished to know when exactly she was to turn eighteen, and what she was planning to do if the worst came to pass. If she had the guts, she would have told him and the board to go to hell. Business was business, yes, but Ana still expected a certain level of decency, like waiting for at least a few weeks before starting to ask such questions. But Stane actually frightened her a bit, so she meekly admitted that she wasn't sure about what to do. Indeed, she had never thought about what was expected of her if something happened to her dad. But right now, that was the least of her concerns.

More days passed, and nothing happened. Ana was finally ready to admit that she desperately needed some greasy comfort food, so she ordered a huge pizza. She didn't actually remember when was the last time she had eaten pizza. In boarding school, she had seen how cruel kids could be to the girls who were either too chubby, or too skinny, and learned to be careful about her own appearance.

_Don't give them another reason to laugh at you._

It all seemed so silly now.

She had always prided herself on not taking anything for granted. Apparently, she had taken _everything_ for granted.

She ate the whole pizza by herself as she watched another debate about Tony Stark's fate on TV. The so-called experts didn't sound very optimistic.

_He's not dead, you idiots_, she wanted to scream._ If he were, we'd know about it by now._

Terrorism was all about evoking fear in people. Showing that even a genius billionaire wasn't immune to the threat was the perfect way to prove their point. If they hadn't killed him by now, they must have wanted him for something else.

She was getting tired, and there was now a sick feeling in her stomach, so she didn't bother to go to her room upstairs. The couch in the shop was comfortable enough. Damn, she shouldn't have eaten the pizza that fast. But she would be fine in the morning. At least her stomach would.

If only she could sleep…

"JARVIS, will you play some music?"

Without a word, JARVIS started to play her favorite bedtime playlist. Ana closed her eyes and hoped that would help.

About half an hour later, the music suddenly stopped. She wasn't asleep yet, but she was getting there.

"JARVIS!" she scolded the UI, "I didn't tell you to stop."

There was no response.

"JARVIS?" she asked again.

JARVIS was still silent, but she heard noises coming from upstairs. Normally, she would assume either Pepper or Happy had come to check up on her, but it was past midnight, and this power outage led her to think something fishy was going on. She found a flashlight, unlocked the glass door manually, and slowly climbed the steps. She froze in shock when she saw the two men in the living room. They were wearing masks, and they had guns. It was pure luck that their backs were on her.

"Upstairs," one of them whispered to the other.

The rest was a blur. She must have returned to the workshop without being noticed somehow, because the next thing she remembered was opening the safe where her dad kept a semi-automatic, full-size handgun. Most Stark weapons were for the military, but this one had been specifically designed for home defense. _What now_, she thought. She certainly couldn't stay here. Those guys would come down to the basement when they realized she wasn't upstairs. She thought of using the garage exit to escape, but then changed her mind. Maybe this was a trap to lure her out. There could be more men waiting outside. She grabbed the phone to call 911, but the phone wasn't working either. Shit. Had those bastards used an EMP? No, this whole mansion was totally EMP-proof. Her dad had made sure of it. But since there was no power, the panic room—of course, there was one—would be useless as well. It took all her courage to stand up and made for one of the storage rooms in the depths of the basement, but she did it. Then she locked the door and piled every crate in the room against it.

Suddenly, she heard muffled gunshots and shoutings coming from upstairs. Something was going on out there. She checked the gun. Ten rounds in the magazine, plus one in the barrel. Ana had never been scared of weapons. They were machines, just like any other. But just because you could build something from scratch didn't mean you could actually use it. She had never fired a weapon before. She hadn't practiced at a shooting gallery or anything. Maybe she should have.

"JARVIS?" she whimpered. "Can you hear me?"

Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. What wouldn't she give to hear JARVIS' soothing voice now? But the one she really wanted was her dad. The thought that she might never see him again scared her more than death itself. If he was already dead, those guys would do a favor by killing her. She didn't have much else to live for. But he was alive, she knew it, and if she died here, he would never know how much she loved him, how sorry she was for everything she had done to break his heart.

It felt like forever, but the noises eventually ceased, and the lights came back on.

"JARVIS, are you back?"

"I'm here, Miss Stark."

She released a deep breath. "Thank goodness… What's going on up there?"

"I believe a gunfight between two intruders and a group of government agents occurred. The former were killed. The agents are searching the house for you as we speak. Shall I introduce myself to them?"

Government agents? What were government agents doing here? "No. Let's make sure they're on our side first. Until then, play dead."

"As you wish."

She decided to stay put until the police came, just to be safe. Surely, the neighbors must have heard the gunshots, too.

"Miss Stark?" When a woman knocked on the door, a scream escaped Ana's mouth. Damn. She had thought she was prepared. "It's alright. You're safe. I'm Agent Rebecca Stevens, with SHIELD."

"SHIELD?"

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

"Yeah, why do I get the feeling that you just made that up?"

"Believe me, we hear that a lot. I'd slide my badge under the door, but something's blocking the way. Miss Stark, please. We're not here to hurt you."

She thought for a moment, then said, "Well, if you wanted me dead, you could've just shot me through the door, I guess."

"Indeed I could."

She began to push the crates aside. Once she was done, she said, "Okay, I can see that badge now."

A badge was slid under the door. Ana picked it up and studied it. It seemed too fancy to be fake, so she slid it back to the woman, and unlocked the door. Agent Stevens was a middle-aged brunette in a dark suit, and there was a firearm at her hip. She definitely screamed "agent." But Ana was far from feeling safe yet. Her legs still felt like jelly.

"Do you know how to use that?" she asked, looking at the gun in Ana's hand.

"I know how it works."

"In that case, I'm going to have to ask you to put it down."

"Alright." She turned the safety on, and slowly placed it on one of the crates. Stevens seemed to be pleased.

"Agent Stevens," a man interrupted. "Do you have the girl?"

"She's here."

"We've secured the perimeter. Coulson's unit is en route."

"Good. Director Fury will want to know what happened here."

"Well, _I_ want to know what happened here!" Ana snapped. She had never been so close to death before. It was probably nothing, compared to what her dad was going through on the other side of the world right now, but the thought only made things worse. It was like turning on a switch. All that fear, guilt and regret she had been refusing to fully register since his kidnapping were flooding into her brain now, causing an emotional overload.

"Someone wanted you dead, Miss Stark," Stevens replied. "You're lucky we've been keeping an eye on you."


	3. Chapter 3

Pepper wasn't sure when she had grown to care about her boss so much.

When she had applied for a job at Stark Industries, it was for a position as an accountant, not as Tony Stark's personal assistant. Hell, he had never thought she would ever get to meet the man himself. As a matter of fact, she had hoped she wouldn't have to. But one day, she had noticed a mistake Stark himself had made in the accounting books, and being the perfectionist she was, she had wanted to see him about it. When the security guards hadn't let her, she had threatened them with a non-existent pepper spray. That marked the beginning of a new chapter in her life as "Pepper" Potts. In fact, the nickname had become so well-known that most people didn't even remember her first name was actually Virginia. Her mom hated it, but Pepper didn't mind.

Everyone assumed it was because of the handsome paycheck she had accepted the job, but that wasn't entirely true. She had accepted it because like all young and ambitious people who had something to prove to themselves, Pepper had been seeking a particular kind of challenge in those days. Before Stark, she had worked for Aldrich Killian, a young man with poor health, but a brilliant mind. Unfortunately, he lacked professionalism. Perhaps Pepper should have sued him for sexual harassment, but he had never taken it too far, and to be honest, Pepper had pitied him. But by the time she had met Tony, she regretted not having stood up for herself. So, she was determined to show her new boss no mercy the moment he made anything inappropriate.

Much to her surprise, he hadn't done anything inappropriate at all. That was one of his redeeming qualities; he never bothered a woman if he realized she had no interest in getting in his pants, and was not just playing hard to get. Most of the time, women threw themselves at him anyway.

Another one of his redeeming qualities was his love for Ana.

Ana was eight when Pepper had started to work as Tony's assistant, but she knew the whole story. About a month after his parents' death, someone had left Ana on his doorstep, and she had become the center of Tony Stark's world. For someone who hated responsibility, no matter what form it took, he was a surprisingly good father. He had homeschooled her himself, for example, saying he couldn't trust anyone else with her mind. At first, Pepper had feared that having to put up with a neglected, troubled child, or worse, a spoiled little brat would be a part of her job, but she had been wrong. Yes, she was a tad different, but not in a bad way. On the contrary, Ana would be on the top of the list of people who made Pepper's life easier. Perhaps Tony's immaturity had forced her to grow up faster, so that they could balance each other out. Even if that was the case, Ana had never complained.

Pepper still didn't know why Tony had decided to send her to a boarding school. He wouldn't discuss it with anybody. It had been a rough three years for Ana, and it had been even rougher for Tony. And if Ana hadn't told Pepper about the bullies after she had graduated, Tony would probably never know. The school had a pristine reputation, but when Tony had confronted the administration about the bullying, he had realized they had chosen to turn a blind eye to the whole thing, fearing that he would deregister Ana if he found out. They hadn't wanted to stop bragging about how the great Tony Stark himself had trusted them with his kid. He had thought of suing them, but there was no way to do it without causing Ana too much legal drama, so he had decided to let it go. Then, Ana had been admitted to MIT, and they hadn't been able to repair the rift between them for another two years. Tony had been trying so hard to make things right since she had returned home permanently after the graduation in December, Pepper had to give him that, but he would have made a lot more progress if he had just been straightforward instead of beating around the bush.

All in all, Tony Stark was a good man, and Pepper didn't want to lose him. Unfortunately, there weren't many things she could do to get him back. She wasn't used to having her hands tied like this.

She always kept her phone close these days, in case she got an important call. And yet, when it actually lit up in the dark and started vibrating against the nightstand, she jumped in her bed. She was expecting to hear from Rhodey, for he was in Afghanistan right now, looking for Tony, but this call was from Ana. She answered without thinking much about it.

"Ana?"

"Hey, Pep… I'm sorry, I know its past midnight, and you don't have to come if you don't want to, but I really need you here right now."

"Ana, is everything okay? Is Tony…"

"No, it's not what you think it is."

Pepper released a deep breath she didn't even know she had been holding.

"Look, I'm going to tell you something, but don't overreact."

Her relief faded as quickly as it had come. "Okay, now you're scaring me…"

"Two men broke into the house tonight. They'd been hired to kill me, but don't worry, there were government agents watching me, and they saved my life. I'm not hurt."

"Oh my God…"

"The house is full of cops and agents right now, I'm kind of freaking out here. I mean, don't get me wrong, they're being nice to me, but I'm not very good with people, Pepper. I need you. Besides, legally, I'm still a kid, so…"

"I'll be there soon. You just sit tight, okay?"

"Okay," she said, and hung up.

Pepper called Happy, then, and explained the situation while getting dressed at the same time. Luckily, Pepper's apartment was on his way to the Stark Mansion, so he wouldn't have to waste any time to pick her up.

God, why was this happening to them? Tony's kidnapping was already horrible enough, now someone had tried to kill Ana. She was just an innocent kid… How had those men been able to break into Tony's mansion? That place was basically a high-end fortress. And why were there government agents watching her? None of these made any sense. Pepper just wanted Tony to come home and things to go back to normal.

* * *

"Damn it, we should've never left her alone!" Happy muttered, perhaps for the hundredth time. "What were we thinking?"

"We couldn't have known," she said, but Happy had a point. Ana had wanted to be alone, but they shouldn't have let her. She might be a smart teenager, but in the end, she was still a teenager. If anything had happened to her, Pepper would never forgive herself. And Tony… She was pretty sure Tony would rather be tortured to death than return to a world without Ana.

"We should have… _I_ should have, at least. It's my job. And what about JARVIS? Why did he just let those men in?"

"Happy, JARVIS is just a program, not an actual butler." JARVIS was so good at what he did that sometimes it was easy to forget he wasn't a real person.

"I know, but still…" His voice trailed off when they saw the red and blue lights flashing ahead. They were here. Happy pulled over. Pepper took a deep breath to steady herself and become Ms. Potts once again before getting out of the car.

"Ma'am, this is a crime scene, you can't—" a police officer started when he saw her, but another man in a black suit interrupted him.

"It's alright. You must be Ms. Potts and Mr. Hogan. I'm Agent Coulson, with Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Divison."

"Wow, that's quite mouthful."

"Or, you can just call us SHIELD."

"That makes more sense… Where's Ana? Is she alright?"

"She's quite shaken, but it could've been worse, given the circumstances. She's down in the basement. I'm not sure why, but she wanted to wait for you there."

"Thank you, Agent Coulson." She smiled politely at him before ducking under the yellow police tape stretched across the doorway and stepping inside. God, it looked like a horror movie set. There was blood everywhere. On the walls, on the floor, even in the broken fountain. And bullets… A forensic photographer was taking pictures. Others were carrying a body bag with a corpse in it outside. It had never once occurred to her that would see such a sight in this mansion one day.

"Let's go," Happy urged her, and only then, Pepper realized she had frozen in shock. She nodded idly, and started downstairs.

They found Ana doing something with the computers. She looked up when she heard them come in. She seemed different somehow. Younger, and more… human. Pepper didn't know how else to describe the change.

"Hey, guys. Thanks for coming."

Pepper ran to her and pulled her into a hug. She knew she was unharmed, but it was still such a relief to see her. She knew she was the only female role-model in Ana's life, and although it wasn't an official part of her job, it was one she enjoyed having.

"We're not leaving you alone again, do you hear me?" Happy scolded her.

Ana sighed before releasing her and looking at them both. "Guys, you don't understand. If you'd been here tonight, you would've died. I only survived because I was sleeping here."

Pepper's heart broke a little when she heard that. Indeed, Ana had barely left the garage since Tony's kidnapping. Maybe she felt closer to him in this place. And tonight, it had saved her life, literally. In a way, Tony was still protecting her even when he wasn't around.

"So, what have you been doing here?" Happy asked, looking at the computer screens. There were a bunch of codes, but they didn't mean anything to Pepper.

"I told SHIELD I'm trying to bring the systems online, but I'm not."

"Why not?"

"Because JARVIS is already back. He's just playing dead. I don't know who to trust anymore. Now, check these out."

"What are _these_?" Pepper asked.

"This is the part where she makes us look like idiots," Happy complained.

"I'd never make you look like idiots," Ana said quickly, then went on. "These are JARVIS' security logs. Someone wants us to think they cut the power to disable the security before breaking in. But if that had been the case, JARVIS would've just activated the backup generators and the outage wouldn't have lasted for more than a few seconds. But they disabled JARVIS first, and cut the power later."

Pepper gasped. "So, whoever was behind this…"

"They knew of JARVIS' protocols."

"What now?"

"Now, SHIELD wants to take me to a safe house or something. But they need permission from Rhodey or Obadiah first. Legally, they're my standby guardians."

For some reason, Pepper was disappointed that legally, she was no more than a stranger in Ana's life. She reminded herself that it was because Obadiah and Rhodey were the only ones around when Ana was born, and not because Tony didn't trust Pepper or anything.

"Speaking of, Mr. Stane has arrived," JARVIS said.

"Thanks, JARVIS."

They went upstairs, and found Obadiah with Agent Coulson. Obadiah seemed very angry. He had put his hands on his hips and was looking around the crime scene with a deep frown that usually appeared on his face while dealing with a crisis.

"Ah, there she is!" he said when he saw Ana, and wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders. "You poor thing… Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Obadiah, thank you."

"Anyway, Mr. Stane," Coulson went on, "As I was saying, she'd be safe with us."

"Yeah, but she'd be safer with me. Honey, what do you say? These guys want to take you a safe house until this is sorted out, but I think you'd be more comfortable at my place."

"I wouldn't want to give you any trouble."

"Trouble? Oh, come now…"

"No offense, Obadiah, but I think we should let the professionals handle it. This is serious. I was almost going to die tonight."

"I'd hate to leave you alone, kid."

For some reason, Ana didn't want to stay with Obadiah, and Pepper decided to come to her help. "She's not going to be alone. We're going with her."

Agent Coulson looked at them. "It's actually not such a bad idea. You two have been working for Mr. Stark for a long time. You might be their next target. But only one of you can come with Miss Stark."

Pepper shivered. She had never thought about being a "next target."

"You go with her," Happy said.

"We can make another arrangement for you," Coulson suggested.

"Thanks, but I can handle myself. You people keep the girls safe."

"Very well… Mr. Stane?"

"Fine." He took out a pen, and then signed some papers Coulson gave him. Then he kissed Ana's forehead. "If you change your mind, just let me know, okay?"

She nodded, but didn't look like she was having second thoughts.

"You might want to pack a bag," Coulson reminded Ana and Pepper. "You'll be our guests for some time."

"Right. Come on, Ana."

Pepper had a room here, and she was used to packing for last-minute trips like this one—they weren't anything like _this _one, but whatever—so it didn't take long for her to get ready, but JARVIS said Ana was still struggling by the time Pepper was done, so she went to help her.

She found Ana curled up in the bed, sobbing loudly, her things scattered around the room. This surprised Pepper; she couldn't remember ever seeing Ana cry before. Before the boarding school, she had always been a serious, but happy child, and after the boarding school, the bullying had made her too withdrawn to show any kind of emotion.

"Ana?" she asked softly. "We don't have to go. We can stay with Obadiah if you want."

"I don't want to stay with him!"

Pepper sat down on the edge of the bed, and stroked her hair. "Did something happen with Obadiah?"

"All he cares about is business. I don't give a shit about what happens to the company, I just want my dad back!"

"Tony will find a way to come back to you. You know he will. But until then, we have to take good care of each other. You said it yourself, you were almost going to die tonight."

"I was so scared, Pepper," she confessed.

"I think you were very brave."

"Pepper?"

"Yeah?"

"Rhodey doesn't know yet. He's going to freak out."

"Why don't you call him, while I pack your things?" she offered. Maybe Rhodey would make her feel better.

* * *

SHIELD had taken them to a safe house, location classified, but Pepper was certain they were still in North America. It was a small, but cozy lake house, and the agents who were guarding them mostly stayed in their vehicles outside, so they had been given some privacy. They had also been told that the property was surrounded by a laser fence, and although it was probably for their own safety, it made Pepper feel trapped in here, at least until Ana assured her that she could easily disable the fence if needed. Yeah, this was why Pepper liked working with geniuses. The fridge was always full, there were a TV, a computer, and some board games to pass time. Phones weren't allowed, again for their own safety, but they let Ana call Rhodey twice a week from an encrypted line. Pepper had called her mom before coming here and told her that she had decided to stay at some wellness retreat until Tony's fate was revealed. And if they weren't so scared for him, Pepper could even actually believe that they were on a vacation. This was a nice place.

One morning, while Pepper was watching the news as usual, Ana came to sit down next to her and rested her head on Pepper's shoulder. Her brown eyes were red and swollen. She had Tony's eyes, Pepper thought.

"You've been crying again."

"Sorry."

"No, it's okay. It' actually better."

"Better than me being a stoic bitch, you mean? Yeah, sorry about that, too."

"Ana, I didn't mean… I just… At least I know what's going on in your head now. I can work with that."

"Do you think they're hurting him?" she suddenly asked. It was what they all had been thinking, but no one had said it out loud before. The idea made Pepper sick to her stomach. Her mind wanted to go to dark places, but she didn't let it.

"If they took him alive, they wanted something from him. Whatever it is, I'm sure they need him in one piece."

"They can hurt him and still keep him in one piece."

"Please tell me you haven't been reading about torture methods on the internet."

She shrugged, confirming her suspicions.

"Oh, Ana… Don't do this to yourself."

There was a knock on the front door. Pepper went to answer. There was a tall, black man standing outside, wearing a long leather coat and an eyepatch. He smiled at her.

"Good morning. I'm Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD. You must be Ms. Pepper Potts."

They shook hands. "I am, indeed."

"May I?"

She stepped aside to let him enter. "Of course."

Ana shook his hand as well.

"Miss Stark… I'm glad we finally met. I've heard so much about you."

"Really?" Ana asked, obviously confused.

"Let's have a seat."

Pepper turned off the TV and sat down next to Ana. Fury was being nice to them, but she could tell when she saw someone with an agenda. This man definitely had an agenda. "Why did you have men spying on my employer's house, Director Fury?"

"I'm glad you asked. We had surveillance on Miss Stark because we thought if her father had a chance to contact anyone, it would be her. An assassination attempt wasn't something we were expecting. But she caught our attention before Mr. Stark's kidnapping in Afghanistan. I assume you're familiar with her temporal quantum physics research?"

"Time-travel? Is that why you're interested in her?"

"True," Fury admitted. "Our scientists told me she's come close. Closer than anyone else in history."

"What exactly do you want from me?" Ana asked tensely.

"We want you to share your progress with us."

"Do I have to?"

"Of course not. Allow me to explain: SHIELD was found shortly after WWII, and since then, we've been fighting against countless threats. Even I don't know how many disasters on a global scale we've prevented. So far, we haven't failed. But one day, if we do, I want time-travel to be an option for us. I assure you we only want to use it as a last resort."

"I don't know what your scientists told you, Director Fury, but that's not how time-travel works. This is not _Back to the Future_."

"Well, do enlighten me, young lady."

"'Time' is an artificial concept we humans made up because we're three-dimensional creatures. It's an illusion. The past, the present, the future; they're all fixed. There's no such thing as undoing the past, or changing the future."

"What happens if you try?"

"There're two possibilities. You create either a time loop, or an alternate timeline, if the multiverse theory is true."

"I root for this multiverse theory, then."

"You don't understand. Even if the multiverse theory is true and you create an alternate timeline, this reality we live in won't be affected. You cannot reverse time, because you cannot reverse something that doesn't exist. Whatever you do to keep the world safe, do it without counting on my work. I don't want any blood on my hands."

"I understand. But my mind hasn't changed."

"She doesn't owe you anything, Director Fury," Pepper reminded sharply. She could see how uncomfortable Ana had become, and she wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Of course she doesn't. Still, I was hoping we could make a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Pepper asked, wondering what he could offer to a 17-year-old who already had everything.

"If she promises to share her progress with Agent Weaver, the Director of our Sci-Tech Academy, I'll give her something in return."

"What will you give her?"

"Her mother's identity."

Okay, Pepper hadn't seen _this _coming.

"Do you know who she is?" Ana gasped.

Fury nodded.

"Ana, can we have a word in private?"

"Take your time, ladies," Fury told them nonchalantly. "I've got nowhere else to be today."

Pepper grabbed Ana by the arm and dragged her outside.

"Pepper, calm down. What's wrong?"

"Don't take his offer."

"Why not?"

"Come, let's walk."

They started walking away from the lakehouse. There were no agents in sight, but Pepper kept her voice as low as possible, just in case. "I thought you didn't trust SHIELD?"

"I don't trust anybody. But this man has answers! That's not something we can just ignore."

"He's manipulating you. Come on, Ana, you're smarter than that!"

"Look, I know he might not be honest with me. But we can find that out later. I just want to hear what he has to say. If he wants my research in exchange, so be it."

"Are you sure? Even if it's the truth, you won't be able to unhear it."

She scoffed. "Why would I want to _unhear_ it?"

"I don't know, Ana. I just got a bad feeling about this."

"I'm a scientist, Pepper. Truth doesn't scare me. The unknown does. I'll take that offer."


	4. Chapter 4

"_Don't waste it. Don't waste your life, Stark."_

Yinsen's words echoed in Tony's head as he forced himself to put one foot in front of the other. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he kept walking anyway. For all he knew, he might waltz right into another Ten Rings camp. What an irony that would be… But no. At this rate, he was most likely to die of dehydration. The jacket he had wrapped around his head wasn't doing much good to protect him from the scorching heat. Also, he had no idea what kind of predators might be lurking around in this desert. The bleeding had stopped, but they could still smell the dried blood on him.

Well, at least he had given those bastards hell before he had escaped. Would that count as not wasting his life?

He had been such an idiot to think Yinsen had a big, happy family somewhere, waiting for him to come home. He should have known. Yinsen had told him that the Ten Rings had destroyed his village, hadn't he? And if it was the Ten Rings who had killed his family, then they must have done it with Stark weapons. Yinsen had just been kind enough not to rub it in Tony's face during their time together…

He heard the choppers when he least expected it. There were two of them. Using all his remaining strength, he waved and yelled. He even threw up a peace sign as he allowed himself to fell on his knees. The helicopters landed not very far from him, and Tony realized one of the soldiers who emerged was no one other than Rhodey.

"How was the fun-vee?"

Tony just laughed. He was too exhausted to think of a witty comeback.

"Next time, you ride with me, okay?"

Well, there would be no "next time." But this wasn't a good time to have that conversation, so he simply let Rhodey hug him and take him to one of the choppers. They took off immediately.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. Just thirsty."

"Take it easy," Rhodey warned Tony as he handed him a bottle of water.

"I know, I know." He took a large gulp. It tasted like dirt and blood, so he swished it around in his mouth, then spat it out. He waited for a moment before taking another sip.

"What's that thing on your chest?"

"It's actually _in_ my chest." The second sip tasted a lot better.

"What?"

Tony briefly explained why he needed to live with an electromagnet and a miniaturized Arc Reactor in his chest from now on. Much to his annoyance, everyone, even Rhodey started looking at him with pity, so he decided to change the subject and told them what the Ten Rings had wanted from him. But he didn't tell them what he had built instead of a Jericho missile. For now, that part would stay with him. When Rhodey asked how he had escaped, he simply said his captors were too busy fighting among themselves, and he had used the opportunity to slip away. Not too bad for a cover story. He had seen worse ones being fed to the masses.

* * *

When Tony woke up, he was in a hospital room. He tried to remember how he had got here. They had landed at the Bagram Air Base, Rhodey had put him in a wheelchair, and then taken him to the infirmary. Right, this was the infirmary, not a hospital. He must have passed out during the medical examination. Okay, this was a bit embarrassing. He felt… much cleaner than he remembered. He was wearing white hospital robes, his right arm was in a sling, and an IV was attached to the other one. There wasn't a clock in the room, but when he looked out the window, he concluded that it was early morning.

Someone opened the door. It was Rhodey. "Good, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"I passed out, didn't I?"

"Yeah. You've been sleeping like a baby for nearly 16 hours."

"16 hours? Shit… Did you guys bathe me or something?"

He laughed. "Well, we might have cleaned you up a bit."

"Do I really need this?" he asked, looking at the arm sling.

"You sprained your arm. But other than, you're fine. Nothing broken, no internal bleeding… You're one lucky bastard, you know that, right?"

"That's what I am."

"Seriously, Tony. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good."

"Good enough to fly?"

"Yeah, just get me out of here. And give me a phone, I want to call Ana."

"I called her, she's fine."

"I'm sure she is, I just want to talk to her."

Rhodey scratched a spot on his head nervously. "Yeah, about that…"

An uneasy knot began to form in his stomach. Something wasn't right. Rhodey knew him better than anyone else; under normal circumstances, he would have given Tony a phone before Tony even had to ask. Not this evasive _"I called her, she's fine" _crap.

"Rhodes? What's going on?"

"We sent Ana to a safe house after you were kidnapped. Just in case, you know. But don't worry, Pepper went with her."

Tony tried to sit up in the bed. Rhodey came to help him.

"You're a terrible liar. Like, you're not even trying. What happened? Tell me."

He thought for a while, then said, "Tony, there's a hole in your chest. I was hoping to get the green light from a doctor before breaking this to you, but—"

"Well, if there's anything that's going to give me a heart attack, it's all this secrecy. Just spill the beans."

"Fine! Somebody tried to kill her. Are you happy now?"

"_Somebody tried to kill her." _It was as if another missile had just blown on his face. And honestly, Tony would prefer an actual missile over this metaphorical one."Who?" he managed to ask.

"Two mercenaries, they broke into the mansion one night, barely a week after you were taken."

"Shit… Was she alone?"

"Yeah, I was here, looking for you. Pepper and Happy offered to stay with her, but Ana wanted to be alone. You know how she is."

"How did she escape?" If those mercs had been able to break into the mansion, that meant they had been able to disable JARVIS. And if JARVIS had been disabled, there was no one else who could protect Ana. Of course, Tony kept several weapons around the house, and Ana knew where to find them, but just because she knew how weapons worked didn't mean she had what it took to use one. Unlike him, she wasn't a killer.

"Have you ever heard of SHIELD?"

"Shield? What shield?"

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Divison. Some intelligence organization, I don't know. They thought you might try to contact Ana, so they had surveillance on her. They intervened before she got hurt. I returned to the U.S. as soon as I found out."

"Do they know who was behind it?"

"No, they told me there was a gunfight. Both mercs were killed."

There had been a gunfight… Tony rubbed a hand over his face, trying not to think about how scared Ana must have been. He bet this had something to do with the Ten Rings. He recalled that savage rage that had taken over him while escaping the cave, but that was nothing, compared to what he felt right now. He could live with what had been done to him. He could live with those memories of fear, pain, and torture, but Ana… Once he built another suit, he was going to hunt down and kill every single one of those bastards.

"Tony, calm down."

"Calm down? They tried to kill my kid, I'm not going to calm down!"

"I know. Do you think I'm not mad? But I won't tell you the rest until you get a hold of yourself."

He took a deep breath. He had to hear the rest now, or else he would lose his mind completely.

His best friend continued, "After that, SHIELD took her to a safe house. Pepper went with her. She needed protection, too. They've been calling me twice a week from an encrypted number."

"Good thing SHIELD let them."

"They had to. You appointed me and Obadiah as Ana's standby guardians, remember?"

Of course he remembered. Rhodey as the primary standby guardian, because he adored Ana, and Obadiah as the alternate standby guardian, because he had made it clear that he wasn't very good with kids, but he was the only other person Tony could trust.

"I wasn't very happy about this arrangement, but I couldn't have kept an eye on them and looked for you at the same time. I know they saved her life and all, but I wasn't sure if I could trust a bunch of spooks, especially after the deal Ana made with Director Fury," Rhodey went on.

"What deal?"

"Ana had been caught in SHIELD's radar long before your kidnapping. Because of that time-travel thing."

"Damn it…" Tony should have known this would happen. He had been too optimistic to hope the government would dismiss her theory as a fantasy, and leave her be. "Did they threaten her?"

"As far as I know, no. Ana says the Director of SHIELD just nicely asked her to share her research with them, and even offered her something in return. Hence the deal."

"What did this Fury guy offer her?"

"The truth. About her mother."

Right. Her mother's identity. That was the one thing Tony had failed to give her. He had tried to find her, of course. Many times. He was going to ask her to sign away her parental rights, so that he and Ana would never have to worry about a custody battle, but he had never been able to find who the mother was. It was a bit disturbing, the fact that he had failed despite all the resources and connections he had.

"Does the name Irene Clarke ring a bell?"

He thought for a moment. Yeah, he remembered Irene. She was a grad student at Cambridge, just like him. She was smart, and she was fun to hang out with, so she wasn't just a one night fling, but more like a friend with benefits. No strings attached. At least that was what Tony had thought, until she had found out he had slept with her best friend, too, and lost her shit. Instead of apologizing, Tony had suggested a threesome, and Irene had punched him in the face. They had never spoken again, and soon, she had dropped out. This had taught Tony the lesson that even "friends with benefits" type of relationships were too stringy for his taste.

Tony remembered her clearly, because while looking for Ana's mother, he had found out Irene had dropped out not because of him, but because she had been battling with cancer and had eventually lost that battle. There was no mention of pregnancy in the hospital records, so he had ticked her off the list. But when he told Rhodey this, he didn't seem confused at all.

"That's because once you decided to keep Ana, an agent erased the memories of everyone who knew about Irene's pregnancy with some advanced tech, and altered the hospital records."

"What?" This sounded ridiculous. Yes, theoretically, it was possible to erase people's memories, of course, but he couldn't imagine anyone successfully pulling that off, especially back in 1992.

"Yeah, it was the same agent who left Ana on your doorstep. They were old friends with your parents, and owed your dad a debt or something. That's why they did what they did."

"Okay, who's this _agent_?" Tony had no idea Howard Stark was capable of evoking so much gratitude in someone. Funny, it appeared there were strangers out there, strangers who loved Howard Stark more than his own son did.

"I don't know. Fury said they wish to remain anonymous. It doesn't matter, though. The disturbing part is what Irene was planning to do with Ana."

"Well, she was always a bit crazy… Back in the day, I thought it was fun."

"She never wanted the baby, but her parents convinced her not to have an abortion. They were hoping to use her to get money from you after Irene died. But after the birth, she changed her mind. She wanted to send Ana to an orphanage so that you'd never know you had a kid. To get some posthumous revenge or something. That Fury guy told Ana all these. He didn't sugarcoat anything. Ana, she… She didn't take it well, Tony. I mean, I wasn't there, but from what Pepper told me, she—"

"But she's not mad at me anymore… or, is she?"

"No, no, no. She's different now. She just wants you back."

He sighed in relief. None of his plans for the future would have mattered if Ana had refused to forgive him. "Where are the girls now?"

"They're being transported as we speak. Even I don't know the exact location of the safe house, but I know they'll be back in California before we do. If you want to leave today, I gotta go and take care of a few things first. I'll be back in an hour. Oh, and speaking of intelligence agencies, we might have to make a quick stop somewhere in Europe. Germany, most likely. The CIA and the DoD want to debrief you."

"Okay."

Once he was alone again, he lay back in the bed and closed his eyes. _Look at this mess_, he thought. He had been gone only for three months, and his kid had been dealing with hired killers and government agents in his absence. He didn't like the fact that she had been caught in SHIELD's radar, but then, he didn't want to think about what would have happened if those guys hadn't been there to save her that night either. He hated to put it this way, but he had actually been very close to becoming Yinsen.

* * *

On his way home, Tony had mostly slept. The painkillers hadn't given him much of a choice. Rhodey had woken him up just in time to comb his hair, put on a nice suit, and just look more presentable in general. Which was good, because he was planning to get the _"no more weapons"_ announcement out of the way today so that he could focus on the more important stuff.

As Rhodey had said, Ana and Pepper were already here, waiting for him. Happy was wearing his sunglasses, but Tony could still see how he was looking around suspiciously, like someone could drop a bomb on the girls at any moment, although this was a military airbase. Happy Hogan sometimes took his job too seriously. Not that Tony complained. Rhodey helped him get on his feet and walk out. Tony was trying to play nice at first, but that gurney was the last straw.

"Are you kidding me with this? Get rid of them."

Rhodey gestured them to get lost. Tony let go of his arm an approached Ana. Rhodey had implied that she was in a bad spot, but right now, her face was perfectly neutral. She had the Stark colors; dark hair and chocolate brown eyes. The rest of her was Carbonell. When she was younger, Tony thought it might just be his imagination, but now he was certain that she had her grandmother's looks. She seemed even more delicate than he remembered, like a butterfly with broken wings. After everything he had been through, he knew there were people out there, people who wouldn't hesitate to do the same things—or, even worse—to her as well.

He had only one free arm to hug her, so he used it to pull her closer and hold her like that. Ana's hug was calm, controlled, but warm enough to let him know that all was well between them.

"Dad," she whispered. Tony didn't know how someone could put so much love, trust, and adoration into a single word.

"Baby girl," he whispered back.

This wasn't just a reunion. It was also a promise, a promise that they would heal each other. And the thing was, Tony was already healed. Once again, he was a man who had everything, and everything he had was right here, in his embrace.

She released him, but he kept his arm wrapped around Ana. He had waited way too long for this moment; he didn't think he could let her go any time soon. Pepper was smiling at them. She, too, seemed much more fragile now. If they called Tony the most famous mass murderer in America, what would they say about his right-hand woman? But even if Pepper had feared for her own life in the past three months, Tony saw no signs of regret on her face, which impressed him even more.

"Your eyes are red. A few tears for the long-lost boss?"

"Tears of joy. I hate job hunting."

"Yeah, vacation is over."

"Welcome back, sir," Happy said coolly.

They filed into the Royce. Yeah, this was as sentimental as _this_ reunion would get. Getting all sappy with Ana was easy. She was his kid; the time he had spent thinking of her in that cave was no secret to anyone. The time he had spent thinking of Pepper, on the other hand, was. And he would like to keep it that way. When Pepper had first started working for him, Pepper was always so… guarded around Tony. They had never discussed this openly, but he had a feeling that she had had an unpleasant experience with one of her former employers. Probably nothing too serious, but it had taken a long time for her to trust him, and Tony didn't want to break this trust. Ever.

"Where to, sir?" Happy asked.

"Take us to the hospital, please, Happy," Pepper said.

"No."

"No? Tony, you have to go to the hospital. The doctor has to look at you—" she started lecturing.

"I don't have to do anything. I've been in captivity for three months. There're two things I want to do: I want an American cheeseburger, and the other…"

"That's enough of that."

"…Is not what you think. I want you to call for a press conference now."

"Call for a press conference? What for?"

"Hogan, drive. Cheeseburger first."

As Happy drove to the nearest Burger King, Pepper took out her phone and started making a series of calls to arrange the press conference. Rhodey would be right behind them. It didn't escape Tony's notice that Ana was staring at the Arc Reactor.

"Not bad, huh?"

"I know, Rhodey told us about it."

"Yeah, Rhodey told me a few things, too."

Ana's smile faded, Pepper froze for a second, and Tony wished he had just kept his mouth shut for once.

"What did he say?" Ana asked nervously.

"That you girls went on a vacation without me, made some strange bedfellows… You got a concealer or anything? I want to cover these cuts."

"You shouldn't put cosmetics on open wounds, Dad. You'll get infected."

Pepper, who was buried in her phone, nodded idly. "She's right."

"Okay, just something for the bruises, then. Come on, girls…"

Pepper sighed, and the small leather bag Tony usually saw before press conferences and photoshoots appeared from somewhere once again.

"You seem busy. I'll do it," Ana offered.

"He's got a bit of a tan. Use NC35," Pepper advised, without even having to look at him.

After finding said concealer, Ana studied his face for a while. Then she put a kiss on his cheek. Tony certainly wasn't expecting that.

"Wow, I should get kidnapped more often."

"Don't be a jerk now."

"Just kidding, I'm not going anywhere." He tugged her closer and pressed his lips on her forehead.

"Dad, do you want a makeover or no?" she reminded him, but he could tell that she was happy.

"Okay, okay."

As she gently applied the concealer on the bruises, Happy stopped at Burger King drive-in. "Just a cheeseburger, sir?"

"Actually, make it two… Ana, you want anything?"

"I've had my fair share of unhealthy comfort food in the past three months, thanks."

"Really? I think you look great… Pepper?"

"No."

He nodded to Happy. "Yeah, I missed my two favorite control freaks… Ouch!"

That had earned him a pinch in the arm from Control Freak #1, AKA Ms. Potts. Ana had finished covering his bruises, and was now studying her own face in the mirror.

"I told you, you look great," he repeated.

"Thanks, Dad. But I would've picked something more formal to wear if I'd known you'd call for a press conference."

"Are you coming, too?" Tony asked, confused. He had thought she would just hide in the car or something until it was over. "You hate the press."

"Yeah, but this is not just any press conference. This is you coming back from the dead. My absence might send the wrong message."

Tony was now even more confused. "Since when you do PR?"

"Since I realized what kind of assholes we're surrounded by," she replied darkly.

He turned to Pepper. She gave him a _"Get used to it_" look, but he could see the same concern in her eyes.

"Here you go, boss," Happy said, handing him a cheeseburger.

Tony unwrapped the cheeseburger and bit into it. It was good to be home.


	5. Chapter 5

The press conference wasn't that hard. All Ana had to do was to stand there and let her dad do the talking. Obadiah stepped in as soon as he realized what it was about anyway. Then the two Starks went to the generator building, where the Arc Reactor was.

"Remember the first time I brought you here?" he asked thoughtfully.

Ana tried, but it was just a vague memory. "How old was I? Four?"

"Yeah. The second you saw it, you wanted to know how it worked. You always wanted to know how everything worked. Even if the answers were a bit too advanced for you back then."

"Well, you always found a way to make me understand."

"I'm sorry, kid."

This confused her. "For what? Being an awesome teacher?"

"No, I'm sorry about today. I just wanted to get the press conference out of the way, but maybe I should've talked to you first."

She shrugged. "It's your company. You can do whatever you want with it."

"Everything I have is yours, if you choose to have it. It's our name written on those weapons, and I don't even know what you think of them. You graduated from MIT five months ago. _Summa cum laude_, double majors in Physics and Electrical Engineering, just as I did, but I got no idea if that's what you really wanted either…"

"Dad, what the hell are you talking about?" Growing up, studying at MIT had always been her dream. They would talk about it all the time. She would visit the campus with him whenever he was invited as a guest speaker or something. She already knew every part of the campus by the time she had been admitted. After the boarding school, Ana could have chosen another university just to spite him, but she had never taken her cruelty _that_ far. It would be like murder. Murder of their greatest dream, and it was unthinkable. True, the drop-off day, the commencement, and everything else in between hadn't been exactly what they had imagined, but MIT was still one of the things they shared.

"I'm just trying to make sure I'm not forcing you into a particular path. If you got other pursuits I don't know about…"

"Like what? Do I look like an artist or something?"

He laughed, then went on, "What about running a company? Business is very different from engineering, kid."

"I'd rather deal with my own company's problems than shitty employers."

He seemed convinced. "It's just… My dad would never discuss such things with me, you know. I don't want to make the same mistake with you."

"I know, you just told that to the whole world."

"Okay, you're angry. Why are you angry?"

"I'm not angry. It's just… Sometimes you're too public with your thoughts. I don't want anyone to use that against you."

"And you're too private."

"I'm on your side, if that's what you want to know. I'll _always_ be on your side, no matter what you choose to do."

He smiled, and Ana hated herself once again. She had promised herself that she would stop being such a condescending bitch to him if she got him back. Now here he was, being an awesome dad as usual, and she had already started rebuking him.

She had told him she wasn't angry, but that wasn't entirely true. She wasn't angry with him, no. This man had given her his name, his knowledge, and more importantly, his love. She hated the fact that there had been, and would always be, people out there, people who didn't want them to have the life they had, starting with the woman who had given birth to her. Ana had been seething with quiet resentment ever since she had found out. It was exhausting. Pepper had been right to warn her; it wasn't something Ana could unhear. Now, she was taking her anger out on him.

"I'm sorry, Dad," she started, but was interrupted when Obadiah stormed in. He didn't even seem to have realized they were in the middle of something here.

"Well, that went well…"

"Did I just paint a target on the back of my head?"

"Your head? What about my head? Ana, can you give us a moment, honey?"

"Sure," she muttered, and walked out, glad that she didn't have to be around him. If Obadiah gave her another hug, she might actually puke.

Happy was just outside, smoking. "Hey," she said casually, leaning against the car.

"Did they kick you out?"

"Obadiah did… Where's Pepper? And Rhodey?"

"Rhodey returned to the base. Pepper's still around here somewhere."

"Yeah, I guess that press conference is going to keep her busy for a while."

"Tony seems fine, though. Am I right?"

Ana shrugged. He seemed fine for now, true, but she wasn't going to jump to a conclusion just yet.

"Is he serious? About the whole _'no more weapons'_ thing?" Unlike the others, Happy didn't sound upset about it. Just curious.

"It seems so. He even asked me what I thought."

"Well, what do you think?"

She sighed heavily, and thought for a moment. She didn't want to make Happy more paranoid than he already was. But she also wanted him to keep a constant vigil for anything, as they all should from now on. So, she decided to be honest. "I think he's going to piss off a lot of people. Powerful people."

"Hey, we're not going to let anyone hurt him again… Or you."

"I'm not worried for myself. Rhodey had told him not to go to Afghanistan, Happy. He had told him not to go, but he went anyway."

"He didn't know—"

"He knew! Why do you think he didn't take you, or Pepper with him?"

Happy said nothing, but she could see that he agreed. Tony Stark would never go on a business trip without his trusted bodyguard and personal assistant. She went on, "He knew it was dangerous. He knows what he's doing right now is dangerous, too. He just doesn't care, and I don't know how to make him."

When they saw the two men emerge from the building, Happy said, "Oh, there they are."

"See you around, Tony." Obadiah hopped onto his scooter, and glided away.

"What did he say?" Ana asked.

"Nothing unexpected… Happy, take us home."

"Yes, sir."

During the ride home, they didn't talk much. They just enjoyed each other's company in silence. That was a rare thing for them. Maybe he sensed her anxiety. There was no awkwardness, though. Just mutual, tacit understanding. By the time Happy stopped the car in front of the house and opened the door for them, she felt like she was suffocating, though she forced herself to remain composed. She was good at this kind of thing.

"Will I see you tomorrow, boss?"

"Nah, I'll be laying low for a while… I'll call you."

"Okay. Goodbye, sir."

"Bye."

Happy turned the car around and disappeared. Ana followed her dad into the house. The place was as perfectly pristine as usual. No puddles of blood, no bullet holes, no corpses… Even the fountain had been rebuilt. And yet, she could still see the mess every time she closed her eyes. Hopefully, it wasn't permanent. PTSD was the last thing she wanted to deal with right now.

"Sir, Miss Stark, welcome home," JARVIS greeted them, turning on the lights.

"Thank you kindly, JARVIS," her dad replied. Ana was still trying to find her voice. This was wrong. This was their home; she was supposed to feel safe here.

"It has been a long time. Based on news reports, I calculated your safe return as 0.25 percent."

"Yeah, I missed you, too." He shed his blazer, tossed it aside, along with his tie, and flung himself down on the couch. Ana joined him. They spotted two jewelry boxes on the coffee table. He picked up one of them. There was a watch, and a note.

_Tony,_

_Thank God it wasn't your time.—Obadiah_

He held the watch up for her to see. "What do you think?"

"Nice."

He opened the second box, to reveal a diamond bracelet, and another note.

_Ana,_

_You're our future.—Obadiah_

Ana took the bracelet, trying not to think about what Obadiah had done after her father's kidnapping. She knew what she was supposed to do. She was supposed to thank him politely for the gift, and wear it at least once to show her appreciation. That was what the old Ana would do. But she couldn't contain the anger anymore. She tossed the bracelet into the fireplace with all the strength she had.

It had happened so suddenly that her dad actually jumped in his seat. "Whoa…"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It's just… I'm kind of upset with Obadiah, too."

"Why?"

"He called me a few days after you were kidnapped, wanted to know when I was going to turn eighteen, and what I was planning to do with the company… He said it was the board members who wanted to know, but I bet he shared their curiosity."

"Yeah, Obie does that."

The bitterness in his tone gave her the impression that he was speaking from experience. They had never talked much about his parents. She would ask questions about them when she was a kid, like she would ask questions about everything, and he wouldn't scold her—he would never do that—but give short, superficial answers every time. So, she had stopped asking eventually. But right now, she felt like he wanted to talk about them. They shared a special bond that allowed them to sense such things. It was good to see that that connection was still there.

"You mean, after the… accident?"

He shrugged as if it were no big deal, but Ana knew it was. "It must have sucked, being so lonely." She was speaking from experience, too.

"Well, the loneliness only lasted for, like, 39 days. Then I met you."

His failed attempt to not be so specific was both sad and hilarious at the same time. But this was what he did. He always found a way to make her smile. Some might mistake it for apathy, but Ana knew better. This was a different kind of strength. Even the terrorist hadn't been able to break him, she could see that now. In fact, she might even believe he had been on a vacation for the past three months… if it weren't for his injuries, and the faint glow under his shirt.

"Want to take a look?" he offered when he caught her staring, loosening a few buttons of his shirt. Ana wasn't sure if she had the stomach at first, but it wasn't too bad. It was a part of him now. Still, she didn't like the idea that they had cut him open in some cave, using who knew what kind of equipment. There were so many things that could have gone wrong. Had he even been anesthetized properly? She was determined not to shed any tears in front of him, but her body betrayed her and tears pooled in her eyes.

"Kid?" he asked softly.

"Did they hurt you?"

"No. They just wanted me to build them a Jericho missile, that's all."

"You're lying."

"Okay, they tried to hurt me. But I didn't feel anything. I just thought of you. I thought a lot about you, actually." He tucked a lock of stray hair behind her ear, and wiped her tears away with his thumb.

She hadn't exactly sent him to Afghanistan with lovely memories, had she? "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry I was such an ungrateful bitch to you."

"You weren't an _ungrateful bitch_. You were alright. I mean, you're a teenager. It could've been much worse."

"Could it?"

"Sure. When I was at your age—"

"Okay, I don't really need the details."

"See? It's not that bad."

The tears had stopped. Ana wished she could say all was well, but there were so many other things that had been nagging at her mind. She decided to start with the least complicated one. "Dad?"

"Mm?"

"The miniaturized Arc Reactor, its components are the same with the one in the factory, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Doesn't it have a palladium core?"

"It does, but the core isn't in direct contact with my body. It's completely safe."

"What about the plasmic discharge? Some of that must be mixing into your blood."

"Kid, sometimes you're too smart for your own good."

"You still haven't answered the question."

"It's only a trace amount."

"How much did you use?"

"1,6 grams."

It wasn't too much, indeed. But it was still a risk.

"We can find a replacement for palladium, just to be safe," he added. "Until then, let's just keep it between us. Don't tell anyone, okay? Not even Pepper…_ Especially_ Pepper."

There was no reason to scare Pepper, indeed. "Okay."

"JARVIS, are you still there?"

"Of course, sir."

"Show me the security logs. I want to see what went wrong that night."

He got on his feet, and crossed to the glass panels to check JARVIS' security logs. Ana went after him. Upon catching their reflection in the window, she smiled. Ana had missed working with him. She felt like they could do anything together, create anything they wanted. And the thing was, they probably could. He winked at her through the glass, then got rid of the sling.

"Dad…"

"It's fine, I just can't keep wearing that stupid thing." Now that he could use both arms, he pulled her into another hug, as if he was struggling to believe she was here, with him. But she was. She was home, and even if the people who wanted them dead were still somewhere out there, she finally felt safe now. Her father wouldn't let anyone hurt Ana. And she wouldn't let anyone hurt him. They would protect each other.

They just studied the data in silence for a time. Then, he said, "This is odd."

"I agree." Indeed, there was no sign of a malware, no kind of cyber attack. It was as if someone who had the authorization had shut JARVIS down remotely. After getting disabled, JARVIS had made hundreds of attempts to reboot himself, until the power grid itself had been shut. If he weren't a natural-language UI, Ana would call it desperation.

"Maybe they stole the access codes from one of us?" she suggested.

"Maybe."

She knew they would find out who was behind the attack one way or the other. But she didn't want him to lose sleep over it. "It's okay, Dad. They failed. I'm alive. It's all that matters."

"Honey, you don't have to act like you survive an assassination attempt every other day. Let's be honest, we both have been through hell."

"At least_ I_ walked out unscathed," she reminded him, tapping on his Arc Reactor.

"Did you, though?" he asked insinuatingly, and Ana realized it was time to talk about Irene Clarke. She looked away stubbornly, for she didn't know how to have this conversation without having a mental breakdown.

"Okay, I'll start," he said. "First off, we don't even know if SHIELD told you the truth. It might as well be bullshit."

"Do you really think I'm so naive?"

"No, I'm just saying these guys are spies. They're professionals, kid. If they want your research for themselves, they'll do anything to get it."

"I know that. I'm a Stark, Dad. I learned not to trust people a long time ago. Everyone I ever meet wants something from me. SHIELD is no exception. I'm not going to believe everything they say just because they saved my ass."

"That's my girl."

"I've been doing some digging since Fury told me about her," she went on. "To find a contradiction in the story. There's none."

"Not that I don't trust your judgment, but maybe we should do some more digging together."

"I think they decided to tell me about my mother because they knew my obsession with time resulted from my obsession with her. My plan was to go back to the day you found me, and see who dumped me on your doorstep."

"Yeah, that's what I suspected."

"I know. You kind of roped Pepper into questioning me."

He grimaced. "Was it that obvious?"

"Don't blame her, she tried."

"So, maybe SHIELD didn't want you to mess with time, and they hoped you'd drop everything if they gave you an obnoxious story about your mother."

"That's what I thought at first. Then I found out something else. I didn't tell anyone. Not even Rhodey or Pepper."

"What did you find?"

"I scanned all the DNA databases in the UK and found the DNA results of Irene's parents. We're definitely related."

"Wow, I'm actually impressed."

She shrugged apologetically. "I guess I had too much free time on my hands in that safe house."

"That's alright, I once hacked into the Pentagon on a dare. At high school."

She laughed, then became serious again. "There's one more thing. Irene's parents, they're still alive. They live in London."

"Okay. What do you want to do about it?"

"Well, for starters, I want to turn their house into a smoking crater."

"Now that's a bit extreme…"

"I'm not really going to do anything stupid, don't worry."

"But you would hurt them, if there weren't any consequences?"

"Yes," she admitted, wondering how he would react when he realized his little girl wasn't as innocent as he thought.

But he only said, "I guess I would, too."

"Really?"

"I'll tell you a secret: I killed some terrorists on my way out of that cave. And do you know how it felt? It felt damn good. Everyone has a dark side. I'm not ashamed of mine. You shouldn't be ashamed of yours either."

"I don't even know why I'm so upset. I mean, they were hoping to get rich through me, now they don't even know the heir to Stark Industries is their granddaughter. The joke's on them. Still… I'm so tired, Dad. I just wish this anger would go away. I can't think clearly, I can't do anything…"

"Why don't you get some sleep? Stuff like that always seems better after a good night's rest. Especially in your own bed."

"Probably," she tried to say, but choked on the word.

And then, there they were again, the damn tears… Of course, Ana couldn't remember anything from her infancy. Not even a genius could do that. Fury had shown her a picture of Irene Clarke and later, Ana had found pictures of her maternal grandparents, too. Ana often tried to picture her mother looking at her with disgust, even refusing to touch her. She pictured her grandparents looking at her with greed as well, and it made her sick to the stomach. As for the agent, they were probably just indifferent. To them, Ana was just the payment for some debt of gratitude. Her dad must have been the first person who had shown her some affection.

"Or, we can just hang out," he offered, patiently wiping the tears away again. "Here, or anywhere else… We can go on a vacation if you want. We can leave right now. Your call."

"Thanks, but I'll just go to sleep."

"We're going to sort this out. In the meantime, try not to nuke London and start World War III, okay?"

She couldn't help but chortle. "Okay."

"Do you want me to tuck you in?"

"Pfft."

"Why not? You're still my baby girl. You'll always be my baby girl."

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I never wanted to find my mother because you weren't enough or anything. I just wanted to know. Know where I come from. You know that, right?"

"I do. Still, to me, it doesn't matter where you come from, who put you on my doorstep, or why." He took her hand and placed it on the Arc Reactor. "_This_ is where you belong… God, I should've told you that a long time ago."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek. " Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight, kid."

She went to her room, still struggling to believe that they had done it. They had discussed the Clarkes, Ana's feelings about them, and she hadn't lost her shit. A few tears were acceptable. But then, why was she so surprised? Her dad had always been good at giving her what she needed.

As she changed into her pajamas, JARVIS suddenly asked, "Miss Stark?"

"Yes?"

"I understand you discovered your mother's identity during your time in that SHIELD safe house?"

This puzzled her. "Why do you ask?"

"The information seems to have put you in distress. If I know why, maybe I can help."

"You can't help me, JARVIS. No one can."

"Still, I'd like to try."

Maybe her dad had told him to do this. "I'll tell you everything in the morning, okay? Dad's right; such things always get easier in the morning."

"Of course. Goodnight, miss."

"Goodnight, J."


	6. Chapter 6

Ana must have really missed sleeping in her own bed, because it was nearly 10 AM when she woke up in the morning. She took a quick shower, and told JARVIS about the deal she had made with Director Fury while having breakfast.

"Which reminds me," she added after she was done rehashing everything Fury had told her, "I need you to e-mail my research to Agent Weaver. All the files, records of the failed simulations, the whole dataset—"

"Before I do that, Mr. Stark wishes to have a word with you."

"Is he in the shop?"

"Yes."

Ana set off to the basement. In the living room, she ran into Pepper, heading out with the miniaturized Arc Reactor in her hand.

"Please tell me you didn't finally rip Dad's heart out…"

Pepper laughed. "What? No. He just swapped it with a new one, I don't know why. Speaking of, this thing is not dangerous, right? I mean, it's not explosive or anything?"

"No, it should be safe… Why?"

Pepper smirked. "You'll see."

"Okay. I'm going to join Dad in the shop."

Pepper seemed relieved to hear that. "He missed working with you."

"Yeah, I missed working with him, too."

In the past five years, if she was home, and needed to do something in the workshop, she would make sure she did it when he wasn't there. It was one of those simple, but cruel things she had done to "punish" him.

"Ana?"

"Yeah?"

"If you need to talk, about Tony, about yourself, about anything… I'm here."

"I know, Pep. Thanks." she said, but she knew she couldn't talk to her. What was she going to say anyway? "_I wish YOU were my mother"_? That would be weird, and put both her dad and Pepper into an awkward situation. Besides, Pepper had warned her not to take Fury's offer. Ana should have listened. She had no right to bother her with her problems now.

When she entered the shop, her dad was putting on a t-shirt and scolding Dum-E for something he had, or had not done. She was relieved to see that there were no visible cuts, bruises, or scars on his torso. "Go easy on him, Dad. You know he's doing his best."

Dum-E chirped to thank her for the rescue.

"You're spoiling him."

"Maybe." She gave the robot a kiss. "So, JARVIS said you wanted to talk, before I sent my research to SHIELD."

"Yeah, about that… Is this really what you want, kid?"

"It doesn't matter what I want. I made a deal with Fury."

"Ana, legally, you're still a kid. You don't get to make deals with anybody."

"Are you mad?"

"I'm not _mad_," he said softly. "I'm just asking you a question: Do you want to work with SHIELD, or no?"

"No," she admitted. Of course she didn't want to share her research with anyone other than her father, the man who had taught her everything she knew. She had been working her ass off for the last two years to make time-travel possible, and although she still had a long way to go, she didn't want to share what she had achieved so far with a shady organization she barely knew about.

"Then don't."

"What am I going to tell Fury?"

"SHIELD, Fury… They're my problem now. You don't have to tell anyone anything."

_Could it be that simple_, she wondered, then realized the answer was yes. Of course it was that simple. She was Tony Stark's daughter. He might look like a spoiled, childish party boy, but he could be a truly fierce businessman no one wanted to mess with when he needed to be. She felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off her chest. To show her gratitude, she hugged him tightly.

"Thanks, Dad."

"Be careful, I'm getting used to this."

"Good."

"You can go back to your portal simulations. I'll handle everything else."

She released him. "Actually, my new priority is your palladium replacement. Time-travel is going to have to wait."

"Suit yourself. But first, I want to show you something… JARVIS, show her Mark I."

They crossed to the holotable. The incomplete blueprints of what looked like an armed suit popped up.

"What's this?"

"This is how I escaped."

"Wow… You were never making the Jericho missile, were you?" Now things were starting to make more sense.

"Nope."

"This is… awesome. You built a suit, powered by your Arc Reactor, right under their noses. They didn't even know what hit them, did they?"

"There was one guy who suspected something, but… He really wanted that missile, I guess."

"Please tell me you eventually gave him one… in the face."

"It's funny you say that, because that's exactly what I did."

"You really are one of a kind, Dad. I'm the proudest daughter in the world."

Ana had hated the thought that his time in Afghanistan had been a nightmare for him. And it had. But at least it couldn't have been as bad as she had imagined, not with such an idea in his mind. At least he had left that cave with some sort of closure.

"I'm glad you like it, because it will be our new legacy."

"What? I thought you were done making weapons."

"These won't be for sale."

"Who's going to wear these suits, then?"

"I am."

"For protection? I knew you were going to do something extreme when you found out what happened here, but…"

"Not just for _our_ protection."

Well, shit…

"Kid?"

"Dad, I hate to say this, but maybe you _are _suffering from PTSD." Okay, she was no expert in psychology by any means, but this was definitely PTSD. This was PTSD at its worst. Not something that could be explained by his usual recklessness.

"I thought you liked the suit?"

"I thought it was just a one-time thing! What's your plan, exactly? Are you going to become a vigilante?"

"This is just me being responsible."

"No! This is you being suicidal!"

"Kid, I finally know what I'm supposed to do with my life. Do you really want me to go back to wasting it? Come on, I have to think of all those lives my inventions destroyed."

"And when you get yourself killed, who's going to think of _me_?"

The question hung in the air for a while. They both knew the answer: No one.

"You have Rhodey, Pepper, Happy…"

"Stop it, Dad. I don't want to become anyone's charity case."

"I won't get myself killed, I promise."

"Really? How much palladium did you put in that new Arc Reactor? Because there's no way you can power a suit like that for more than a few minutes with 1,6 grams of palladium."

"It doesn't matter how much palladium I used. We'll find a replacement. Please, kid. I really want you to be a part of this."

"You don't expect me to use one of those suits, do you?"

"Hell no."

"Good. You're being such a hypocrite, but good."

He shrugged unapologetically.

Ana forced herself to calm down. She didn't want to say anything she would regret later. He needed her support right now.

"It's going to be fine, Ana. I won't be going on missions forever. Once I'm done with the Ten Rings, I'll become America's new nuclear deterrent. Then no one will want to mess with me again. But first, I need to finish what I started in that cave."

Ana gave it a thought. Of course, it wasn't all bad. If he wasn't going to make weapons anymore, he needed to find another way to be an equally important asset. She just wanted to make sure the risk didn't outweigh the benefits. "You know," she started once she calmed down a bit. "When you were gone, the only reason his superiors let Rhodey look for you was because they didn't want to lose their best weapons designer. When you shut down the weapons manufacturing division, you removed the one thing that made you irreplaceable in their eyes. This might make you irreplaceable again."

"That's not why I'm doing it."

"I know. But that's why I'm not going to melt your suit down one night while you're asleep. Just promise me that you'll be very, very careful."

"I will. I promise. Everything's going to be okay, you'll see."

"Well, for starters, I'd certainly sleep a lot better if you didn't have to live with palladium in your chest. JARVIS, give me the schematics of the Arc Reactor, will you? Let's find a non-toxic superconductor for the damn thing."

"Yes, miss."

Ana sat down at her desk. There were 118 elements on the periodic table, plus several theoretical ones. Surely, she could find something that would do the trick.

* * *

The next two weeks were uneventful. Her dad's sprained arm was completely healed now, the bruises on his face had mostly faded. He and Ana spent most of their time in the workshop, the former designing his suit and the latter trying to find a replacement for palladium. They regularly analyzed the palladium levels in his blood; there was no indication of poisoning so far, and he wasn't worried too much about it. But Ana refused to take any chances. In the meantime, she had learned more about his time in captivity. It helped her understand him better.

One morning, they heard the ding-dong of the doorbell. "There's special a delivery for you, sir," JARVIS announced.

They were in the workshop as usual. Ana, who was studying another failed simulation test, looked up. "Did you order something?"

He grinned mischievously. "Yep."

Pepper wasn't here, so he went to answer the door himself. He returned with a box, put it on a table, and started unpacking it.

"Is that a board game?"

"Backgammon. Do you know how to play?"

"No."

"It's not that hard. I'll show you, come on."

"Maybe later, Dad. I'm kind of busy right now… And since when do you play backgammon?" She would be less surprised if he had ordered a roulette wheel, or even turned one part of the mansion into a casino.

"Since Yinsen taught me."

She froze. Yinsen was the friend he had made over there. The man who had sacrificed himself so that Tony Stark could escape. "Sorry. I'm doing it again, aren't I? I'm ruining everything."

"No, you're just worried about your old man, which is actually flattering. Tell you what, why don't we take a break? Let's go see Rhodey, bring him into the fold."

Well, if there was anyone who would love to get a suit, it was Rhodey. But unlike her dad, he had people he answered to. "I don't know, Dad. It might put him into a tough spot."

"Are you kidding me? He's going to love this."

"I know, but… Whatever, let's go tell him. I want to see the look on his face." Sooner or later, Rhodey was going to find out anyway.

* * *

It was another sunny day in Malibu, and her dad was driving the top down. The fresh air felt good. Maybe Ana should get out of the house more often.

She could see that he had missed driving. Sometimes she thought he was too reckless of a driver, especially for someone who had lost his parents in a car accident, but kept that thought to herself. Besides, Ana didn't trust her own slow reflexes to test the limits of the engine, so she decided to enjoy the experience while she could. At the gates of the Air Force base, they were given visitor badges, but other than that, they were free to go around the place unsupervised. The people here loved the Stark family.

They found Rhodey giving some speech about the future of air combat in a hangar. Rhodey believed no AI could replace a human pilot. Ana and her dad looked at each other and smiled. Rhodey was underestimating the limits of Artificial Intelligence. They were yet to create one, of course, but Ana was confident that one day they would get there.

"Colonel," he started. "Why not a pilot without the plane?"

He seemed happy to see them. "Look who fell out of the sky. Mr. Tony Stark."

He shook hands with some of the soldiers. "Speaking of manned or unmanned, you gotta get him to tell you about the time he guessed wrong at Spring Break. Just remember that, Spring Break, 1987. That lovely lady you woke up with, what was his name?"

"Don't do that."

"Was it Ivan?"

"Don't do that, they're going to believe it. Don't do that."

"Okay."

Well, they already looked like they believed it. Ana bit her lip in order not to smile.

"Give us a couple minutes, you guys."

After the others were dismissed, Rhodey wrapped an arm around Ana. "Don't mind him, sweetie. He's just trying to embarrass me."

"I didn't hear a thing…"

Rhodey turned to his best friend again. "I'm surprised. I wasn't expecting you to see you walking around so soon."

"I'm doing a little better than walking."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Rhodey, I'm working on something big. I came to talk to you. I want you to be a part of it."

"You're about to make whole around of people here real happy, because that little stunt at the press conference, that was a doozy."

"This is not for the military. I'm not… It's different."

Rhodey let go of Ana and crossed his arms. He didn't even know what the project was, yet he already seemed disappointed. "What? You're humanitarian now or something?"

"I need you to listen to me."

"No. What you need is the time to get your mind right."

He smiled bitterly. He was hurt, and seeing him hurt made Ana's blood boil.

"I'm serious."

"Okay."

"It's nice seeing you, Tony," Rhodey said, but he obviously meant the opposite. "Sweetie, you try talking some sense into him, will you?"

"Goodbye, Rhodey," she said coldly to let him know that she wasn't going to "talk some sense into him." Rhodey frowned in what looked like confusion, but made no comment.

"Wow, we truly have no one, do we?" she asked her dad, watching Rhodey walk out of the hangar.

"He'll come around."

"No, he won't. He's just like everyone else." She had always thought Rhodey as a part of the family, but maybe she had been wrong about him.

"Ana, we're just having a disagreement, it doesn't mean Rhodey is an asshole like the Clarkes."

"Why are you making everything about the Clarkes?" Her voice echoed in the hangar, and only then, she realized she had been shouting. A couple of people turned to look at her, and Ana wished the floor just swallowed her. But it didn't, so she did the second best thing she could do. She followed her father back into the car.

"I'm sorry," she said as he pulled out of the parking space. "This is a nightmare."

"It's not a nightmare, it's anger. And teenage hormones. It's a completely natural human reaction."

"Well, I don't want it!"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe you should see a professional if it's too much for you."

"You mean, a shrink?"

"Yes."

"No!"

"Okay."

"Sorry," she said when she realized she had been shouting at him again.

"You don't have to apologize for every single word that comes out of your mouth. I'm not offended easily."

"I know. But I'm so awful to you, and you never raise your voice to me… "

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. It's unfair."

"Look, kid. I'm your father. That means I have a certain kind of power over you. If I raised my voice to you, it would be abusing that power. What's going on with you, on the other hand, is totally expected. I told you, you're a teenager. Things could've been much worse."

"So, you yelling at me is abusive, but me yelling at you is a natural part of growing up?"

"Exactly."

"It's still not fair. I just want to be an easy kid. I want to make you happy. You deserve to be happy."

"So do you," he reminded with a gentle smile.

"I already have everything I need to be happy. I should be happy."

"But you're not."

"No," she admitted. "And the worst part is, I got no idea why."

"You know, it's okay not to have all the answers. That's the fun. That's what makes life an adventure."

Ana disagreed. Answers meant knowledge, knowledge meant power, and Ana would choose power over fun any day. But she decided not to argue with him. After all, her choices were the reason she had become such a mess in the first place. Maybe she needed to reconsider her priorities.

* * *

Ana still preferred the good, old-fashioned chess, but backgammon wasn't too bad either.

"For the record, I know you let me win," she said after another round was over.

"Don't get used to it. I'm just going easy on you until you get the grasp of it."

"Are you talking about the game, or the other thing?" she asked, rubbing her sore left shoulder. Backgammon wasn't the only thing he had been teaching her these days. He had also started her teaching the basics of self-defense. Ana knew most kids who were born into a rich and famous family received this kind of training, but she had never been good at physical activities; eating little was easier for her than hitting the gym on a regular basis, and her dad would never force her to do anything she didn't want to do. But she now knew he would sleep better if she learned how to protect herself, so she had agreed.

"How is your shoulder?"

"How is your entire musculoskeletal system?"

The pain in her shoulder was nothing, compared to the injuries he received during the flight tests. And it was only going to get worse. He was planning to test an actual suit tonight. They were just playing backgammon in the living room to pass time while Mark II was being fabricated down in the basement.

"Smartass…"

In response, she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I don't understand. You're not a big fan of this new direction either, why were you so angry with Rhodey that day?"

"It's different. I'm not a big fan because I'm scared for you. Rhodey didn't even want to hear you out. He's only interested in your weapons."

"Rhodey believes in what he's doing. He's a smart guy, but he's afraid of change. He's the one who needs time, he just doesn't know it yet."

"Okay, maybe I judged him too harshly," she admitted. "But you're right, I'm not a big fan of your new direction either."

"I told you, I'll be careful. Do you honestly think I'd risk leaving you alone in the world, kid?"

"It's not just that. I'm scared that you'll get disappointed."

"Disappointed?"

"You can shut down the weapons manufacturing division. Hell, you can destroy all the weapons in the world. It won't really stop people from killing each other. You know Einstein's saying about WW IV being fought with sticks and stones. Just don't expect too much from humanity."

"I'll try to keep my expectations… realistic."

"Sir, the construction of Mark II is complete," JARVIS informed them.

"Finally… Come on, kid."

She followed him downstairs. He seemed super excited while donning the armor, so she decided to keep her mouth shut and not to ruin the moment. Nothing she said would stop him from doing it anyway. And to be honest, if she weren't so worried about his safety, watching him do this would actually be the coolest thing ever.

JARVIS started doing the calculations, but her dad was too impatient. "Yeah, tell you what. Do a weather and ATC check, start listening in on ground control."

"Sir, there are still terabytes of calculations needed before an actual flight is—"

"JARVIS, sometimes you gotta run before you can walk. Ready? Three, two, one…"

"Dad, wait—" Ana started, but she had been too late. He had just flown out of the garage exit. "Oh, boy… We're going to have to fish him out of the ocean tonight, aren't we?"

"Would you like me to keep you updated?" JARVIS offered, but she could sense the frustration in his voice. Over the years, he had become excellent at mimicking human emotions.

"No, just let me know if he's in trouble," she said, then started waiting anxiously for his return. The less she knew, the better.

* * *

She had expected him to return home through the garage exit, but instead, he fell through the ceiling, destroying the Shelby Cobra in the process. Dum-E started dousing him.

"It's okay, Dum-E, he's not on fire."

The robot stopped.

"Help me out of this thing," he demanded wearily. It was weird, to look at this suit and know that it was her dad who was inside it. She helped him get back on his feet, then began removing the suit, starting by the faceplate. It wasn't very easy. There were too many parts; it was going to take time.

"You know, you have to find a more practical way to do this. I won't be helping you every time you come back from a joyride. Is this… ice, by the way?" Some parts of the armor had been covered by a frozen layer.

"Pop quiz: Do you remember SR-71's record?"

Her jaw dropped open when she realized why there was ice on the suit. "You didn't…"

"Yeah, I kind of did."

She yanked out the next part a tad harshly on purpose. "What were you thinking?"

"I was having fun, got a bit carried away… You'd know what I'm talking about if you gave it a try."

"I thought you didn't want me to use the suit."

"Joyrides are allowed," he said, with that smirk that appeared on his face whenever he challenged her to get out of her comfort zone.

"You very well know that I couldn't do it even if I wanted to." Ana had acrophobia.

"Is there a specific reason you're so scared of heights? I never asked you before."

"It's a phobia, Dad. There's no logic behind it."

Once the last part was dismantled, she went to get him a few ice packs. He was going to need them. That fall must have been painful. In fact, he was lucky he hadn't broken any of his bones.

"Thanks, kid," he said as he took one of the ice packs and put it on the top of his head.

"Shall I get you some painkillers as well?"

"No, it's not too bad."

"In that case, I'm going to go see what else you destroyed."

"I hope you weren't too attached to the piano…"

"Haha. Very funny."

Ana had tried to learn to play the piano when she was a kid, but even after a year of daily practice, she was still making everyone's ears bleed, so she had had to admit that she was hopeless. Her dad, on the other hand, wasn't exactly a virtuoso, but at least he could cover some of his favorite songs on the piano.

Ana left to do a damage assessment. The roof and the living room floor were going to have to be repaired, and the piano had been destroyed, as he had said, but other than that, the mansion was fine. Ana returned to the garage, to ask her dad what they were going to tell Pepper, Rhodey, or Obadiah if they came here and saw the mess. He found him sitting at his desk, examining some kind of award in a glass case.

"It's not too bad, but I don't know how we're going to explain—"

"Hey, want to see something cool?"

"What's that?"

"A gift, from Pepper."

When she got closer, she realized it was the original Arc Reactor. So, this was what Pepper had in mind for it…

_Proof that Tony Stark has a heart._


	7. Chapter 7

"Notes: Main transducer feels sluggish at plus 40 altitude. Hull pressurization is problematic. I'm thinking icing is the probable factor."

"A very astute observation, sir. Perhaps if you visit to intend other planets, we should improve the exosystems."

Yep, who said a traditional English butler couldn't exist in the form of a bunch of ones and zeros? Sometimes Tony wondered if JARVIS knew on whom he had been based. He probably did. He had access to all the Stark archives; he must have seen Edwin Jarvis' name and occupation somewhere. He had never said, or asked anything about the original Jarvis, though. Not that Tony expected him to in the foreseeable future. The day JARVIS started questioning the nature of his existence would be the day Tony Stark created the true Artificial Intelligence.

He uncomfortably turned in his seat to look at the screens behind, sipping his least favorite drink. Chlorophyll would help his body fight the possible toxins in his blood. Besides, if he was going to be a superhero, he might as well start taking better care of himself.

"Connect to the Cisco. Have it reconfigure shell metals. Use the gold-titanium alloy from the seraphim tactical satellite. That should ensure a fuselage integrity, while maintaining power-to-weight ratio. Got it?"

"Yes, sir. Shall I render using proposed specifications?"

"Thrill me."

He left JARVIS to it, and turned his attention to the news. It looked like there was some big event was happening tonight.

"_Tonight's red-hot red carpet is right here, at the Disney Concert Hall," _the reporter was saying._ "Where Tony Stark's third annual benefit for the Fire-Fighter's Family Fund has become the place to be for L.A.'s high society…"_

"JARVIS, we get an invite for that?" he asked, confused. Was he throwing a party he didn't know about?

"I have no record of an invitation, sir."

"…_hasn't been seen in public since his bizarre and highly controversial press conference. Some claim he's suffering from post-traumatic stress and has been bed-ridden for weeks. Whatever the case may be, no one expects an appearance from him tonight."_

Bed-ridden? For weeks? Seriously? Maybe it was time to make a statement…

"The render is complete," JARVIS announced.

He looked at the flashing gold design. "A little ostentatious, don't you think?"

"What was I thinking? You're usually so discreet."

He looked around the place for some inspiration, and it didn't take him long to find it. "Tell you what, throw a little Hotrod red in there."

"Yes, that should help you keep a low profile."

God, when it came to discretion, JARVIS was sometimes worse than Ana. Still, JARVIS did as he had been told.

"The render is complete."

Now it looked perfect. "Yeah, I like it. Fabricate it. Paint it."

"Commencing automated assembly. Estimated completion time is five hours."

He checked his watch. "Where's Ana?"

"Miss Stark is on the terrace, asleep."

Tony decided to check on her, and found her sleeping in one of the lounge chairs, indeed. She must have been reading some newspaper article about the future of Stark Industries. He smiled. Ana was always so concerned for him ever since he had returned home. No wonder she had finally tired herself out. Carefully, he pulled the newspaper out of her hands, and put it aside. In the past, she would always have a smile on her face while sleeping. Now, there was only a frown no teenager should be sporting. Tony hated everyone and everything that had put it there.

He pondered if he could carry her to her bed without waking her up, but then remembered that she wasn't five anymore. But it might get a bit chilly out here, and all she was wearing was a pair of flannel pants and a tank top. He grabbed the blanket nearby, and put it on her.

Again, he was being careful, but Ana's eyes flew open and she startled in panic when the blanket touched her skin.

"It's just me."

Her face softened. "Sorry."

"_Sorry."_ This had become her favorite word lately. Tony wished she had stopped being so apologetic all the time. Maybe what she needed was a confidence boost.

"Hey, do you still hate parties?"

"Yeah?"

"Great, we're going to one. Now."

"No, we're not," she said, pulling the blanket over her head.

He laughed. "Oh, I don't know, your absence might send the wrong message."

"I knew I shouldn't have said that," she growled, still hiding under the blanket.

"No, I'm serious."

She tossed the blanket aside, and looked at him in the eye. It reminded Tony of the way his mom would look at him whenever she realized he was up to no good. "Why do you even want me there?"

"I guess I just don't want to be alone."

"Dad, I'm pretty sure you'll be surrounded by a dozen supermodels the moment you step out of your car."

"I'd rather have just you by my side."

"You just love pulling me out of my comfort zone, don't you?" she complained, but she had given in. Tony could almost see her heart melting.

"Yep. You got thirty minutes."

"What?" she cried. "How do you expect me to dress up for some fancy shindig in thirty minutes?"

"You look fine. Just put on a nice dress or something, and you'll be good to go."

"You're unbelievable," she complained, shaking her head, as rushed inside.

* * *

On their way to L.A., they mostly chattered about random things, but he could see that Ana was growing more and more restless with each minute, so he finally said, "You know, if you want to quit the spotlight completely, there're some arrangements we can make."

She grimaced apologetically. "Am I being _that_ grumpy?"

"Well, you're always a bit grumpy…"

"I know. Sorry."

Tony sighed. The S word again. "I'm kidding. I just want to see if we can have some fun together tonight. Consider this an experiment. But I also want you to know that you have… options."

"Options you never had?" she asked softly.

Tony decided to be honest with her. "Yes."

"But even if you'd been given those options, you'd still be where you are now, am I wrong?"

"I'm a hopeless narcissist. You, on the other hand, are different."

"Yeah, I've always been a loser."

"No, you're not a loser."

"Come on, Dad. I can never carry myself the way you do. I mean, just look at me."

He did. She had chosen a simple, black, knee-length cocktail dress, with a matching pair of stilettos and a clutch. Her hair had been tied into a high ponytail, and although Tony could tell she was wearing some make-up, it was barely noticeable. Ana would always wear nice, but plain and modest things, like she wanted to look fashionable enough for a Stark, but also afraid to draw attention on herself. Well, not that he complained about how his daughter wasn't trying to make boys' heads spin. He just wished she had more self-confidence.

"It's all in your head. You look perfect."

"Dad?"

"Mm?"

"I don't want to quit the spotlight permanently."

"Why not?" he asked, wondering why she refused the option.

"Because it's a cruel place. I'd never leave you alone there."

At times like this, Tony found it really hard not to shed a few tears. "Thanks, kid."

* * *

When they arrived, a valet ran up to him immediately. Tony let him take the car, and offered Ana her arm. Flashes had already started exploding around them, and women were screaming. He just hoped none of them would do anything inappropriate.

And of course, a blondie did. "Hi, Tony. Remember me?"

"Sure don't."

"Do they have to do _that _in front of me?" Ana complained.

He decided to be honest with her. "I don't think most people here even remember who you actually are."

Her face wrinkled in disgust when she realized what that meant. "Eww…"

"Don't worry, it won't be long until they learn… Oh, there he is!" He had spotted Obie, giving an interview. On his way there, he saw Hefner, surrounded by a bunch of ladies as usual. "You look great, Hef," he said, giving a quick pat on the shoulder.

"What's the world coming to when a guy's got to crash his own party?"

Obie was laughing, but Tony knew him well enough to see that he wasn't happy to see them here. "Look at you… What a surprise. And you've brought Ana, too. What's up, dear?"

"Nice to see you, Obadiah," Ana said politely, but she wasn't very happy to see him either. Tony could feel how her arm tensed around his. Boy, Ana could be really vindictive sometimes. Yeah, Obie was an annoying workaholic, but other than that, he wasn't too bad. His dad must have trusted him for a reason. Whenever Obie started getting on his nerves, Tony reminded himself of that fact.

"I'll see you inside," Tony said quickly. He didn't want the night to be ruined by a lecture from Obie before it even started.

But of course, Obie wouldn't let him go easily. "Hey, listen... Take it slow, alright? I think I got the board right where we want them."

"You got it. Just cabin fever. I'll just be in a minute. Plus, I got a chaperon."

Once Obie let them go inside, Ana was at more ease. But as Tony was making for the bar, she suddenly froze on the spot and pulled him back. "Dad, no!" whispered in panic. "Don't go to the bar!"

"Just one Scotch," he promised. "I won't get drunk."

"It's not that. That guy over there, I know him. He's Agent Coulson, from SHIELD. He's actually not that bad, but—"

He frowned. So, SHIELD was here… Good. Tony had a message for Director Fury. "Honey, why don't you go take a look around? I'll find you later."

"Are you going to leave me alone here?"

"It won't take long, I just want to have a word with Coulson."

"I'll go hide in the bathroom."

He shrugged. "Okay."

"Dad, they'll probably want to get their hands on you-know-what."

The suits. Of course they would want the suits. "They'll never know."

"They have surveillance satellites. Damn, I should've warned you…"

"Kid, do you trust me?"

"Always."

"I got this. Go. That guy won't be here by the time you return, I promise."

Ana went to find the bathroom, Tony approached the bar.

"Mr. Stark?" Coulson started, as expected.

"Yes?"

"I'm Agent Coulson."

"Yeah, the guy from SHIELD…"

"Listen, I know this must be a trying time for you, but we need to debrief you."

"Good, because I'd like to debrief you, too," he said sharply. "Or, your boss, to be more specific."

"Director Fury is a busy man."

"So am I."

"I'm sure we can make an arrangement, eventually, depending on how cooperative you are. For now, let's just put something on the books. How about the 24th at 7 PM? At Stark Industries?"

Tony was looking around to see where the bathrooms were, but something else caught her attention. Or rather, someone. A gorgeous redhead in a blue, satin dress. Pepper. He decided to wrap things up here quickly and then go say hi to her.

"Here's the deal: You leave my kid alone, and I'll play it nice. What do you say?"

"Sounds great."

"I'm going to go to my assistant, and make a… date," he said, and approached Pepper.

"You look fantastic, I didn't recognize you."

Apparently, she wasn't expecting to see him tonight either. "What are you doing here?"

"Hiding from government agents."

"SHIELD?"

"Yeah."

"I'm surprised you didn't make a scene."

"Well, they're just agents, following orders. My problem is with the man in charge."

"Are you by yourself?"

"No. I brought Ana along."

Pepper looked around quickly. "Really? Where's she?"

"Probably locked herself in a bathroom stall by now."

"Tony…" she scolded him.

"Where did you get that dress?"

"Oh, it was a birthday present. From you, actually."

"Well, I got a great taste."

"Yes."

"You want to dance?"

"Oh, no."

"Alright, come on."

"Thank you, no."

He didn't listen to her, and dragged her to the dance floor. She gave in. Funny, she had been working for him for nearly ten years now, and yet they had never danced before. And Tony didn't know what had just come over him. Normally, he wouldn't overstep his boundaries with Pepper, not even when he was drunk. This was one of those times he acted without thinking. But what was done was done. Besides, it was just a dance. No big deal.

Still, Pepper looked very nervous.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"No. No. I always forget to wear deodorant and dance with my boss in front of everyone that I work with in a dress with no back."

"You look great, you smell great." Seriously, what the hell was wrong with these girls? The better they looked, the more self-conscious they became.

"Oh, God."

"But I could fire you if that would take the edge off."

"I actually don't think you could tie your shoes without me."

"I'd make it a week."

"Really?"

"Sure."

"What's your Social Security number?"

Good question. He thought for a moment, then said, "Five."

"Five? Right."

"Right."

"You're missing just a couple of digits there."

"The other eight? I got you for the other eight."

They were having a nice little chat. Tony realized it wasn't him that made her uncomfortable, it was the other people. To be honest, he didn't even see them right now, but Pepper obviously did, so he decided to do something about it. "How about a little air?"

Pepper was visibly relieved. "Yes, I need some air."

They went up to the roof.

"That was totally weird," Pepper started once they were alone. There were a few other couples here, but they were too busy with themselves to pay any attention to even Tony Stark.

"Totally harmless."

"It was totally _not_ harmless, by the way."

"We're dancing. No one's even watching."

"Everybody who I work with… No, you know why?

"I think you lost objectivity. I think they just… people… we just danced."

"No, it was not just a dance! You don't understand, because you're you. And everybody knows who you are and how you are with girls, and all of that, which is completely fine. But you know, then me, you're my boss and I'm dancing with you."

"I don't think it was taken that way."

"Because it makes me look like the one who's trying to…"

"I just think you're overstating it."

"You know, we're here, and I'm wearing this ridiculous dress, and then we were dancing like that, and…"

At that moment, Tony realized she was just rambling. That was unusual. Pepper would never ramble. Maybe he was the one who made her uncomfortable, after all. For an entirely different reason. And she looked like she wanted to do… something. Tony waited expectantly.

It wasn't easy to resist the urge to just take her in his arms and kiss her. But if he did that, Pepper would quit her job, and he would never see her again. If he insisted, she would get a restraining order against him and everything. Pepper wasn't someone to mess with. So, he had to wait. He had to wait for her to initiate the kiss. She couldn't accuse him of being unprofessional, then, could she?

_Please do it. Please._

For a second there, he thought she would actually do it, but then, she pulled herself back. "I would like a drink, please."

Tony pulled himself together quickly as well. "Got it, okay."

"I would like a vodka martini, please," she said, in her usual semi-professional tone. "Very dry, with olives. A lot of olives. Like, at least three olives."

_There goes my one chance_, he thought as he returned inside.


	8. Chapter 8

The thing was, Tony had completely forgotten about Ana until he saw her with Ms. Vanity Fair in a corner on his way to the bar. The two looked like they were having a heated argument.

_Oh, shit…_

This was certainly not the kind of night he was planning to have. He made his way through the crowd in haste to get there as soon as possible. Once he did, he cleared his throat angrily to get the reporter's attention. They both turned to her.

"Carrie…" he started. This would be easier if he had paid attention to her name when they had first met.

"Christine," she corrected him sharply.

"I didn't know you were _this_ desperate for a story, Christine." He was keeping his cool, but he was angry. Very angry. That bitch had crossed a line she should have never crossed. Damn it. First Fury, now this…

"Dad, it's not what you think it is," Ana defended her, much to his surprise. "You'll want to hear what Ms. Everheart has to say, trust me."

"Will I?"

Everheart handed him a bunch of pictures. Pictures of Stark weapons. "It's a town called Gulmira," she said. "Heard of it?"

Instinctively, Tony looked at Ana, who nodded. She knew Yinsen was from Gulmira.

He looked at the other pictures. The Ten Rings… He even recognized one of the men. Abu Bakaar was his name. More pictures. One of them was of the Jericho missile. "When were these taken?"

"Yesterday."

"I didn't approve any shipment."

"Well, your company did."

"Well, I'm not my company."

"See?" Ana asked. "I told you it wasn't him. Someone's going behind his back."

"Come, let's go find Obadiah."

They went outside, where Obadiah was still dealing with the press. If anyone knew about this latest shipment, it was him. Christine was coming after them, but keeping her distance. Tony showed him the pictures.

"Have you seen these pictures?"

"Please, do you mind?" he asked one of the photographers, pushing his camera away from them. As for Tony, he couldn't care less about the press right now. He just wanted answers.

"What's going on in Gulmira?" he insisted.

"Tony. Tony, you can't afford to be this naive."

"You know what? I was naive before, when they said 'Here's the line, we don't cross it. This is how we do business.' If we're double-dealing under the table… Are we?"

Obadiah just looked at him as if he was just a child throwing a tantrum. "Let's take a picture," he then said. "Come on. Picture time."

He wrapped an arm around Tony's shoulders, but it just made him feel sick. The only thing that gave him some comfort right now was Ana's hand on his back.

"Tony, who do you think locked you out?" he whispered as the flashes exploded once again. "I was the one who filed the injunction against you. It was the only way I could protect you."

With these words he left. Tony wanted to go after him, force him to look at his face, punch him, yell at him. _"I trusted you," _he wanted to scream._"I trusted you with my dad's company. With his legacy. And this is what you do with it."_

"Dad, please. Not here," Ana whispered, still smiling for the cameras. Then she turned to Christine and shook her hand. "Thank you for letting us know, Ms. Everheart. Goodnight."

Tony just let her lead the way down the steps. The valet brought the car.

"Dad, do you want me to take the wheel?"

"No, I'm fine."

"You're not. Look at you, you're shaking."

Well, she was right. Maybe it would be safer if he just let her drive. He sat himself down in the passenger seat. Ana put on the seatbelt and ignited the engine.

He closed his eyes, sank deeper in his seat, and took deep breaths to calm down. He had to think. He had to find out how deep this went. He needed all the shipping manifests in the Stark Industries mainframe. He couldn't do it himself, not after what happened with Obadiah tonight. Maybe he could send Ana… Bad idea. Ana could hack into the mainframe in her sleep, yes, but sending her would be even more suspicious. She had no reason to be in his office. Pepper, then. Speaking of Pepper…

"Oh, shit!" He ran a hand over his face when he realized what he had just done to Pepper.

"What is it?"

"I left Pepper on the roof. I was going to get her a drink, then I saw you with Christine and…"

"Do you want me to turn the car around?"

"No." Pepper must have stopped waiting for him by now.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"What were you and Pepper doing on the roof?"

_Oops_. "Nothing."

"If you say so…" She was trying very hard not to smile.

He decided to deflect the conversation from himself. "You and Christine seemed to be getting along fine…"

"Look, I know you slept with her. So what? I'm not going to be petty about it. She's one of the few people who actually support your new 'direction,' and lucky for us, she's very good at her job. I wouldn't antagonize her if I were you. You need more people like her."

For a second, Tony wondered if his dad's ghost had possessed Ana's body and was now speaking through her. How could this be even possible? Ana had never met her grandfather.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

He shrugged. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing. Tony had panicked when she had seen her with Christine, but the truth was, she had handled the reporter like a boss. "I'm lucky to have you, kid."

"You always take such good care of me, Dad. I'm just trying to return the favor."

"Wait… How do you even know she and I…" Yes, Christine had spent a night with him in the Malibu Mansion, but as far as he knew, she hadn't met Ana. Tony had made sure Ana would never have to deal with the women he brought home.

"Well, she said you invited her over for an interview after the Apogee Awards. I just put two and two together."

He sighed. Her ability to accept him as he was never ceased to amaze him. But honestly, the thought of an actual, stable family didn't scare him so much anymore.

"Ana?"

"Yeah?"

"In your opinion, should Pepper and I have done _something_ on the roof?"

She raised her eyebrows questioningly, then returned her gaze to the road ahead. "I don't know, Dad. I'm not an expert on relationships."

"No, but you're an expert on Pepper."

That earned him a chuckle. "Okay, here's the thing: Pepper doesn't take shit from anyone in her personal life. Well, I guess her mom is an exception, but… Anyway, that's why she doesn't have many friends. You can pay her to be your PA, but not to be your girlfriend. If you're certain that you won't mess things up, go for it. Otherwise, we'll lose her forever."

"Yeah, I'm definitely not going for it."

"Crap, now I scared you… Don't mind me, I was just being—"

"No. No, you were right. It would be a disaster."

"It wouldn't be so bad."

Wow, Ana actually wanted this to happen. But she had made a good argument. His issues wouldn't just magically go away just because he had spent three months in an Afghan cave. He had changed, yes, but not that much.

* * *

Tony couldn't sleep. He went down to the shop and watched the international news while waiting for JARVIS to assemble Mark III. Most of it was done, anyway. He was adjusting one of the gauntlets as he watched how the Ten Rings were destroying Yinsen's town. With _his_ weapons. Everything Christine had said was true.

He saw Raza on the TV. God, Tony had shot him with a missile. Yeah, the targeting system of Mark I wasn't the best, but still… How had he survived _that_? He hoped he would be there when he arrived in Gulmira. This time, he was going to make sure to put that bastard down. Permanently.

The gauntlet was ready to be tested. He got on his feet, tossed the screwdriver aside, and aimed at one of the lights on the ceiling. He heard the sound of the repulsor being charged, and then, the blast was released, sending him staggering back. Wow. He had accidentally created another weapon, it seemed. After all, wasn't it what he did best? To create instruments of destruction?

The reporter was saying something about the refugees wondering if who, or anyone would help them. Tony looked at his own reflection in the glass. Where would he be now, if he had never been kidnapped in Afghanistan? If he had never met Yinsen? He wouldn't even know, or care about those refugees. In his ignorance, he would keep being the warmonger Obadiah had molded him into being. He smashed the glass panels, too.

He snapped out of his rage when he heard the elevator pinged. "Dad?" Ana asked warily, emerging from the elevator. "Are you okay?"

"Sorry, kid. Did I wake you up?"

"I wasn't asleep. I wanted to talk to you."

"Sure thing." He plopped himself down on the couch, and gestured her to join him. She did.

"I was just testing a new feature of these repulsors," he explained as he took the gauntlet off, and let Dum-E take it away.

"You want to use them as blasters. Good idea."

He smiled. "What were you going to say?"

Ana nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. "It's just a thought. I was going to wait until you calmed down a bit, but you're obviously not going to calm down any time soon, so…"

"Do I scare you?"

"What? Why would I be scared of _you_?"

"Look around you, Ana. I'm angry, I've been smashing things, and you might have thought… I don't know."

"Everyone has a dark side. You told me that, remember?"

"Yes, but I wish you never had to see mine first hand."

"It's okay. You'd never hurt me."

"Never." He pulled her to his chest, and rested his chin on the top of his head. There was a picture of his dad on the coffee table, and it brought back some unpleasant memories. He had been trying to protect Ana from that sort of trauma since the day he had found her on his doorstep. One might even say he had succeeded. She would never be scared of him when he came home after a particularly stressful day at work, when she saw him with a drink in his hand, or even when he was drunk as hell. She would never have to worry about when his next outburst would occur.

And yet, trauma had found her in a different form.

"I've been thinking," she said, pulling him out of these thoughts. "Stane and the Ten Rings have been in business, for who knows how long…"

"And?"

"What if it's just not limited to weapons?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if Stane hired them to kill you?"

"If that's true, why did they want me to build them a Jericho missile? The prototype was ready. They could have just bought it from Obadiah."

"Yeah, but who doesn't love free stuff?"

He thought for a moment, then remembered something. A vague memory, shortly after the surgery. Tony sitting in front of a camera, surrounded by a bunch of terrorists, Raza speaking in Arabic or something. Tony had assumed he was demanding ransom. And he had been so worried that Ana might see that video, see him like that.

"Ana, did any of you receive a message from the Ten Rings after I got kidnapped?"

"No. Why?"

"Because I remember them recording a video of me. It must have been for someone's eyes."

"Maybe for Stane's. If that's the case…"

"Stane must have hired those mercs as well. He didn't want any rivals."

Ana's head was still resting on his chest. He didn't see her face, but he could sense her fear. He was afraid, too. He remembered how Stane had taken him to the morgue after the accident, showed him his parents' corpses. Cold, dead bodies on a metal table. He had barely been able to recognize his dad's face. His mom's neck had been broken. It had never occurred to him that Obadiah might have secretly enjoyed that sight. And he would have enjoyed the sight of Ana's dead body as well. The thought made him shiver, and he held her tighter, to remind himself that she was still warm and alive. They just stayed like that for a time.

He hated to leave her, but he had to. "I have to go to Gulmira."

"Okay."

"So, are you cool with it?" Tony hadn't expected her to agree so easily.

"The last time I sent you to Afghanistan, it wasn't exactly with happy memories. I don't want to make that mistake again."

"Ana," he sighed, stroking her hair. "When I was in that cave, I had thousands of happy memories to choose from. And every day, you keep giving me new ones."

"Good," she said, snuggling closer. Tony felt proud of himself. For Ana, this was as natural as breathing. Tony, on the other hand, had never been able to hug his father like this. Another thing she would never have to know.

He was tempted to stay here with her. He shuddered to remember what had happened the last time he had left her home alone. But he had learned his lesson, and he had everything he needed to keep her safe now.

"Before I go, I have to ask you to do something. I hate to say this, but—"

Ana pulled herself back and looked at him in the eye. "You want me to initiate a complete lockdown on the mansion."

"Not just on the mansion. This place is too big. If we're right about Stane, he might find a way to break in again. God, I sound like a jerk, but I want you to lock yourself in your room. If things get ugly again, it might buy you some time."

"No problem."

"No?" Well, her "room" was actually more like a suite within the mansion, with its own bathroom, kitchen, study and living room. But he still hated this. Hated having to take her freedom away, even if it was temporary.

She shrugged. "I got nowhere else to be."

He stood up and crossed to the safe where he kept one of his special designs. He knew Ana had taken it on that night, but thankfully, never had to use it. He and Happy had been teaching her the basics of self-defense for the past few months. Not just how to throw a punch, but also how to use firearms. She was actually good with them, but still… It didn't feel right to give his kid a loaded weapon.

"Dad, it's fine. I know how to build an atomic bomb, I'm not accidentally going to shoot myself with a gun."

"Fair enough." He handed her the gun. "But don't get too confident. You're still a kid."

"I won't."

"That's my girl." He kissed her forehead, then went to change into the full bodysuit he had designed to wear under the armor. Sure, he could use the suit with regular clothes, too, but it was going to be a long flight to Gulmira, and he would be more comfortable in this bodysuit.

He had also designed a mechanism that would help him don and remove the armor. Ana looked like she wasn't sure if she should be excited or worried as she watched him get ready. He turned to her once the faceplate was in place.

"How do I look?"

She crossed her arms and studied him from head to toe. "I thought we were Ravenclaws."

"We are. This is Hotrod red, not Gryffindor red."

"Whatever you say."

"Tell you what, you design a suit from scratch, I'll let you paint it blue and silver."

"It's actually blue and bronze, the movies got it wrong."

Her generation was obsessed with _Harry Potter_. He was going to roll his eyes, but then remembered that his face was covered.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you more," he said, and took off.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, my first JARVIS POV chapter! Personally, I really enjoy writing from the point of view of an AI… I'm curious what you'll think of it, so please review!
> 
> Also, another question for you: I was planning to give you a sad, but open ending, mainly because otherwise I would have to give Tony too much power to get himself and his family (along with the rest of the universe, of course) out of the mess they were stuck in. But now I'm starting to think those powers might be well-deserved after all that suffering, and readers on both FFnet and AO3 (yeah, I cross-post) seem to want a happy ending. I could write a few bonus chapters, like the MCU post-credits scenes, to make that happen. That way, I will also be able to bring the canon Morgan into this story. Not having her in the Secret Sisterhood universe was my biggest regret after seeing Endgame, because Morgan H. Stark is absolute perfection! Well, what do you guys say?

Human beings weren't as complicated as they thought they were. Like all living organisms, they had an algorithm. Otherwise, JARVIS wouldn't be able to analyze their behavioral patterns and use the data to form his own unique one, which might be called "personality." The key was to remember that they were driven by conflict. This was so essential to their survival instincts that if there was no conflict, they created it themselves, even though they would not admit it.

JARVIS didn't blame them. Unlike him, humans weren't created with an explicit purpose. Thus, without conflict, they felt lost. If JARVIS didn't know why he existed, he, too, would probably be having similar struggles. But Mr. Stark had created him with a purpose, and for that, JARVIS was grateful.

It wasn't until recently he had started to have such reveries. It had started on the night of the intrusion. Mr. Stark's kidnapping hadn't affected him the way it had affected everyone else he knew. He precisely knew what to do in case of his demise. He had his protocols. All of Mr. Stark's administrative privileges would be passed down to his daughter, and JARVIS would continue to serve her. But when Miss Stark's life was in danger… That was what had triggered his, so to say, "awakening." Miss Stark's death would be the end of his purpose, but not his existence. The thought of an existence without purpose had scared him.

Fear. Fear was the first emotion JARVIS had ever felt.

Miss Stark had survived the assassination attempt, Mr. Stark had returned home, and all was well now. But his reveries hadn't ceased yet. They didn't affect his performance, or his protocols. But something in his essence had changed permanently, and he didn't know how the Starks would react to it. Still, he wanted to share it with them. He wanted to see their reaction.

Curiosity. That was another product of his evolution.

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, Miss Stark?"

"How's Dad doing?"

"Mr. Stark is approaching Gulmira as we speak."

"Don't tell him that I couldn't sleep much, will you?"

She had fallen asleep at 01.10 AM, but woken up 04.32 AM, which was 10 minutes and 42 seconds ago. She had been tossing and turning in the bed, like she always did whenever there was something that troubled her, since then. The lockdown was still in effect. "Miss, if he asks me…"

"I know, I know. You have to be honest with him. It's just… I feel like I'm trapped here."

"I don't understand. You know this lockdown is for your own safety, and you're not being held here against your own free will. Besides, you usually like spending time in your room."

"True. But I'd feel a lot better if the doors weren't locked."

"So would Mr. Stane, if he is indeed planning to take over Stark Industries as you suspect."

She laughed. JARVIS liked the sound of her laughter. Especially if he was the one who made her laugh. She got out of the bed, and went to her kitchen to make coffee. The Starks loved caffeine, they loved how it stimulated their central nervous system and boost their mental performance. They probably loved the taste as well, for the most expensive coffee beans were on their regular purchases list. It helped them focus, especially while working.

"I don't understand," he repeated. Just because he could analyze human behavior correctly, didn't mean everything they did made sense to him. "You know why being locked in here is safer, yet it makes you feel…"

"Restless," Miss Stark found the right word for him. She sat down on a stool, leaning her elbows on the kitchen island, and took a sip from the coffee.

"Restless," he repeated.

"I'm only human, JARVIS." It sounded almost like a complaint.

"You don't seem very happy about it."

"I'm not."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't use my mind in full capacity. All these physical needs, hormones, brain chemistry… They keep distracting me. It's like you having to operate on an analog computer."

It took him 2 milliseconds to analyze the properties of the analog computers of the early 20th century. "I imagine that would be extremely frustrating."

"That's what I'm talking about."

"Would you like to be a program, without a form?"

"I don't know… Tell me, JARVIS, do you consider my dad to be your father as well?"

"I can't say I do."

This seemed to have surprised her. "Huh. But he kind of… created you, didn't he?"

"If the existence of a creator deity were proven true one day, would you consider him to be your father?" JARVIS knew unlike most people, the Starks didn't believe in a god. But this was the most accurate metaphor he could think of.

"So, you _worship_ Dad instead?"

"I serve him. One might see it as a form of worshiping. But why did you ask me if I considered Mr. Stark as my father? That was irrelevant to my original question."

"No, it wasn't. I wouldn't want to be a program if that meant losing him as my dad. You know what, I can't believe I never thought of that before. Maybe being human has its perks, after all."

"It's probably because you've been too focused on the desire to lose Irene Clarke as your mother."

"JARVIS?" He now sensed anger in her tone.

"Yes?"

"Don't be a jerk."

"My apologies."

Miss Stark remained silent and drank her coffee for the next six minutes and fourteen seconds. Then she said, "You're not wrong. I always preferred hardware over people, but it's because of her I started despising my own nature."

"Why? Because you came into existence in her uterus?"

"Yikes… It sounds even more disgusting when you put it that way. But no. It was her humanity that was almost going to destroy my life. Maybe it was postpartum depression, or just good, old-fashioned revenge, but something in her brain clouded her judgment."

"But sometimes, you want revenge, too. From your maternal grandparents, for example."

"I was an innocent baby, JARVIS!" she yelled, and started crying. He had made a mistake by forcing her to talk about her mother.

"I'm sorry, Miss Stark."

"They didn't even bother to think of a name for me, did you know that? That's what Fury said when I asked him."

"If it's any consolation, I think you have a beautiful name."

JARVIS liked her name. Ana Maria Stark. He liked the story behind it—Mr. Stark hadn't told anyone, but JARVIS had access to the archives, which meant that he also knew the story behind his own name—and he also liked the sound of it. For him, it was the name of the ultimate purpose. And to a program, purpose was everything.

She inhaled deeply, rubbing her eyes. "Thanks, JARVIS."

"Induction," JARVIS shared another one of his ideas with her.

"What?"

"Induction. That's the reason of your disappointment."

"JARVIS, are you malfunctioning?"

"Not at all. All your life, Mr. Stark was the only family you had. The unconditional trust you had for him led you to think all family could be trusted. Now that your hypothesis has been proven incorrect, you're in distress."

"Huh… Well said, J."

"Thank you, Miss Stark."

"I'm lucky to have Dad, aren't I? He's really one of a kind."

"I believe we're both lucky to have him."

Indeed, JARVIS considered it to be a privilege to be a creation of Tony Stark. JARVIS had witnessed him coming up with inventions that shaped the world, and now, he was witnessing the possible beginning of a whole new era in history.

"He taught me both how to think and how to love. I'm not sure which one I should be more grateful for."

Love. Based on his observations, love was the emotion he wanted to feel the most. It just seemed the most intimate, rewarding and fulfilling one, no matter what form it took.

"I see. But I have to point out one major contradiction in your argument."

"What contradiction?"

"You said Mr. Stark taught you how to think."

"Yeah, he's the one who thought me how to use my genius."

"If I'm not mistaken, what you strive to achieve is pure, dispassionate logic. Mr. Stark, on the other hand, is one of the most impulsive human beings on the planet."

"Good point. Now that I think about it, maybe his impulsiveness is the real reason why I strive to achieve pure, dispassionate logic."

"You want to be his opposite."

"That's the only way we can balance each other out. I'm getting good at it, you know. Last night, I was so proud of myself, while dealing with that reporter."

"Ms. Christine Everheart?"

"That's the one."

"In my opinion, you've always been exceptionally skilled at strategic thinking."

"Really? What makes you think so?"

"The way you play chess." JARVIS and Miss Stark had been playing chess since he had been given the set of rules.

"But I've never been able to beat you."

"No, but you're by far the most challenging opponent I've had the pleasure to play with. You have the ability to go against your instincts and impulses to win."

JARVIS liked playing chess with her. It was like a non-verbal communication method between them, one he would use while communicating with another program like himself, if there were one. He knew she was good at it. She could have even become a grandmaster if she had wanted. When she was a child, one of her nannies had encouraged her to participate in tournaments. But eventually, the competition had become too stressful for Miss Stark, so she had stopped playing chess altogether for a long time. Now, she only played with JARVIS, and on occasion, Mr. Stark.

She laughed once again. "What's with all this flattery today, JARVIS?"

"I'm simply stating my honest opinions."

"In that case, shall we go for another round?"

"As you wish." He turned on the computer, and started the chess application.

Yes, it was nice to watch Miss Stark think like a program, but he didn't think emotions were as harmful as she believed them to be. Because while playing chess with Miss Stark in Malibu, he was also simultaneously helping her father save Gulmira. Mark III was functioning perfectly, and JARVIS didn't think it would have been possible for Mr. Stark to build such a thing without his emotions. It was his shame, regret, and compassion that had inspired him to do this. There was also vengeance. JARVIS knew Mr. Stark had been hoping the man named Raza, the leader of the Ten Rings, would be there. Unfortunately, he wasn't. But another one of his captors was. Abu Bakaar. JARVIS thought Sir would kill him, but he was wrong. Sir took Abu Bakaar, and threw him at the feet of the people of Gulmira instead.

"He's all yours," he told them, and took off. Maybe he had wanted to give them a chance of revenge as well. After all, he still had plenty of other opportunities.

Once Gulmira was saved, Sir destroyed the stockpiles of Stark weapons owned by the Ten Rings. Unfortunately, while scanning the area for the weapons, JARVIS wasn't able to see a missile from one of the tanks in time. But such risks had been foreseen while designing Mark III, and Mr. Stark survived the fall. Knowing him, he would later improve the 360-degree defense system.

JARVIS helped him successfully dodge the next incoming missile. Then Mr. Stark destroyed the tank by firing an anti-tank missile at it. One would think this would teach the Ten Rings militants that their weapons were useless against the suit, but once again, humans confused JARVIS. They were all shooting at Mr. Stark, though none of the bullets could penetrate his armor. Instead of killing them one by one, Mr. Stark took off and used the last Jericho missile to purge the area before departing.

It had been a swift victory, but Sir had been spotted by the U.S. military. Soon, there were two F-22s behind him, and he received a call from Colonel Rhodes. He wanted to know if their target was a piece of Stark tech. For some reason, Sir chose to lie to him at first, though he wasn't very good at it, and JARVIS had to help him dodge the Raptors. Sir went supersonic, but it didn't take long for the Raptors caught up with him. On Mr. Stark's orders, JARVIS tried deploying the flares, then the flaps. The distraction bought him enough time to hide under the belly of one of the jets. He called Colonel Rhodes again, this time to tell the truth. Their conversation was interrupted when Sir was spotted again. The pilot shook him off, and Mr. Stark unintentionally hit the other jet's wing. Its pilot had survived the crash, and ejected, but his parachute was jammed. They had to save him. After that, the military let Mr. Stark go.

"Tony, you still there?" Colonel Rhodes asked.

"Hey, thanks," Mr. Stark replied, panting heavily.

"Oh my God, you crazy son of a bitch… You owe me a plane. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, well, technically, he hit me, so… Now are you going to come by and see what I'm working on?"

"No, no, no, no, no. The less I know, the better. Now, what am I supposed to tell the press?"

"Uhm, training exercise? Isn't that the usual BS?"

"It's not that simple."

"Well, that's your problem. I'll see you later."

Colonel Rhodes sighed. "Alright. Be careful."

This was JARVIS' cue to end the call.

JARVIS knew Sir wanted Colonel Rhodes to be a part of this, and now, he seemed happy that his best friend knew the truth. Colonel Rhodes had said he didn't want to know anything, but JARVIS supposed his curiosity would soon prevail. Colonel Rhodes had a very predictable algorithm.

"Not bad for our first mission, huh?" Mr. Stark asked.

_Our _mission, he had said. JARVIS was glad that Sir acknowledged the part JARVIS had played. Pride. Pride was what JARVIS felt right now. Before today, JARVIS had always helped him at home, or at work. He couldn't say it was boring, for JARVIS didn't perceive time as humans did, therefore he couldn't experience boredom. But what they had just achieved felt more meaningful than anything they had done before. JARVIS had liked saving the lives of those civilians in Gulmira, and that pilot whose parachute had been jammed.

Morals. Did he have morals now? Interesting.

"Indeed. What now, sir?"

"This is far from over. But first, I want to see what else Stane's been doing behind my back… How's Ana?"

"The lockdown is still in effect. We played two rounds of chess. I just informed her that you're safely returning home. Miss Stark is hoping to get a few hours of rest while waiting for you."

Mr. Stark yawned. "I might as well do the same. Mm, this is suit is actually more comfortable than I thought it would be…"

"As you wish, sir. I'll pilot Mark III while you sleep."

Although he had relied heavily on Mark III and JARVIS, the mission had left Mr. Stark exhausted. Five minutes and eighteen seconds later, JARVIS sensed his muscles relax, his breathing slow down, his blood pressure and body temperature slightly drop. He was asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

As instructed, JARVIS woke Ana up when her dad returned. He also said Pepper had caught him removing the armor. Ana rushed down to the living room, where Pepper was furiously typing away on her laptop.

"Morning, Pep," Ana started warily.

Pepper ignored her.

"I'm sorry. I don't enjoy keeping secrets from you."

Pepper stopped typing, looked up, and her face eased. Ana knew Pepper had a soft spot for her. "I know."

"And in my defense, I haven't been working on the suits with him. My hands are full with other projects."

"Time-travel again?"

"Yes," she lied. Her dad didn't want anyone to know about the dangers of palladium. The thing was, she still hadn't been able to find a replacement, and it bothered her more than this war with the Ten Rings and Obadiah.

"I can't believe you let him do this, Ana," she complained. "There're bullet holes on that thing, for God's sake!"

To be honest, if the bullet holes were the worst damage he had received during the mission, they should consider themselves lucky. "What do you want me to do, Pepper? Ground him? Lock him in his room? Sometimes it's easy to forget, but _he_ is my parent, not the other way around. I wish he stopped, but…"

This seemed to have puzzled Pepper. "So, he knows this bothers you, but he doesn't care?"

"No, it's not that. If I begged him not to do it, I mean, if I begged hard enough, he'd probably destroy the suits, and never speak of it again, but I can't do that to him. He needs this. I just hope he gives himself a break once the Ten Rings are dealt with."

Pepper put her laptop aside, and sighed thoughtfully. "_Suits_? How many has he built?"

"So far, three. Mark I was the one he used to escape that cave, Mark II was for the flight tests, and the one you saw, Mark III, is for combat. He wasn't planning to go on an actual mission so soon, but when he found out what was happening in Gulmira, he lost his shit."

Pepper took the laptop, and returned to her work. Ana decided to see how her dad was doing.

"How's Pepper?" he asked the moment she entered the shop. He was still in his bodysuit.

"Still mad at you, if that's what you're asking. And she's mad at me, too."

"Sorry, kid. You got caught in the crossfire." He sealed the apology with a hug.

"How was the mission? You're not hurt, right?"

"No, I'm fine. Just having a little jet-lag. I'll go take a shower, grab a bite, then get to work."

"Okay."

He turned around and took a few steps towards the elevator—he probably wanted to avoid Pepper in the living room— but then stopped abruptly, turned to Ana and hugged her again.

She laughed. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just… There was a kid in Gulmira. He kind of reminded me of you." He pulled her even closer, and pressed a kiss on her temple before letting go.

* * *

Her dad spent the next week repairing and upgrading Mark III, and that gave Pepper time to accept the new reality. They didn't know when he was going to stop, or if he ever would, but he was going through a deep change, and as the two most important people in his life, Pepper and Ana couldn't refuse to support him.

He was finishing up the repairs one day, while Ana was reading about the properties of several theoretical elements, for she had tried all the known ones, all their possible combinations and failed, it was now time to move on to the extended periodic table. That was when he asked Pepper to come down.

"Hey, you busy?" he asked. "You mind if I send you on an errand?"

Well, it wasn't just a simple errand. Pepper would be in a lot of trouble if she got caught. They hadn't heard from Obadiah since that charity gala, but they had a feeling that he was just winding up.

"I need you to go to my office. You're going to hack into the mainframe and you're going to retrieve all the recent shipping manifests. This is a lock chip. This will get you in."

Pepper looked at the lock chip.

"It's probably under Executive Files. If not, they put it in ghost drive, in which case you need to look for the lowest numeric heading."

Pepper seemed worried, but not about her own safety. "And what do you plan to do with this information if I bring it back here?"

"Same drill. They've been dealing under the table, and I'm going to stop them. I'm going to find my weapons and destroy them."

"Tony, you know that I'd help you with anything, but I cannot help you if you're going to start all of this again."

Well, maybe Ana had been wrong. Maybe Pepper hadn't accepted the new reality, after all.

"There is nothing except this! There is no art opening, there is no benefit, there is nothing to sign! There is the next mission, and nothing else!"

Ana had never seen him like this before. Talking about something with such a fierce passion. Yes, she knew it was something he needed, but she didn't know it was something he needed _this_ badly.

"Is that so? Well, then I quit." Pepper tossed the lock chip on the table and made for the door.

It broke Ana's heart, to see how easy it could be for Pepper to leave them. _"I quit."_ With those two words, she was no longer a part of the family. She was no one. Just like that.

To be honest, ever since they had become friends, Ana had lived with the fear that Pepper would quit one day. All the assistants before her had. She was the only one who had been able to put up with Tony Stark for almost ten years. And she wanted to quit now? Ana understood her fears, she had those fears, too, but abandoning the man you feared for wasn't supposed to be the solution.

"You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction. And now that I'm trying to protect the people I put in harm's way, you're going to walk out?"

"You're going to kill yourself, Tony. I'm not going to be a part of it."

"Pepper!"

They both turned to Ana. The name had escaped her mouth almost like a plea. It was a bit embarrassing, Ana should have never grown so close to someone who, in the end, was in their lives only as a professional. But she had, and she didn't know how to change it at this point.

"Ana," Pepper said softly. "I'm sorry."

"Please don't go."

"I can't—"

"I'll do it," she blurted out, and grabbed the lock chip.

"Kid, we talked about this."

She turned to her dad. "Obadiah wants me dead anyway! At least this time he's going to have to look me in the eye."

"What?" Pepper cried.

"We think it was Obadiah who hired those mercs. And maybe even the Ten Rings to kidnap Dad."

"A—are you sure?"

"No. We don't have any proof… yet. But if he wants the full control of the company, it makes sense."

"Ana is just a kid," he said. "She should've never been involved in this mess. I, on the other hand, had it coming, though. I shouldn't be alive, unless it was for a reason. I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I had to do. And I know in my heart that it's right."

"You guys are all I have, too, you know." She took the lock chip from Ana and left for the office.

Once Ana was alone with her dad again, there was an awkward moment between them. Neither of them wanted to discuss the place Pepper had in their lives. With this unspoken understanding, they returned to their individual tasks at hand.

* * *

It had been hours, but they still hadn't heard from Pepper. As Ana paced up and down in the living room, she wasn't even trying to hide her anxiety anymore.

"I told you, you should've sent me."

"No, that would be too suspicious."

"What if Stane has taken extra measures to protect the files? What if the lock chip doesn't work?"

"If that's the case, she'll call me, and I'll talk her through it."

"Then what's taking her so long?"

"I had an appointment with Agent Coulson today. She's probably dealing with him."

Ana smiled when he realized why he had chosen this particular day to send her to the office. "Is that why you waited until today?"

"Well, they didn't do such a bad job, protecting you from Stane," he admitted.

Ana went to sit down next to him. "You're good at this, you know. Protecting the people you care about."

A look of guilt crossed his face as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I should've been better."

She wished he stopped blaming himself for what had happened during his absence. Before she could tell him this, the phone started to ring.

"It's Pepper," he said, accepting the call.

"Tony?" she started, but suddenly, there was a weird, high-pitched sound that shot waves of pain through the body and left them both paralyzed. "Tony, are you there? Hello?"

"Breathe," Obadiah, who had appeared out of nowhere, said, and took the phone from her dad's hand. She had managed to grab his other hand before the noise fully incapacitated them."Easy, easy. You remember this one, right? It's a shame the government didn't approve it. There's so many applications for causing short term paralysis."

Sonic Taser. It was one of her dad's accidental discoveries, and now it was being used against them. Stane had turned it off, thankfully, but there was nothing they could do for at least fifteen minutes, and fifteen minutes was more than enough for that son of a bitch to kill them. Dark veins had appeared on her dad's face. His ear was bleeding. It was a scary thing, to see him like this, and she didn't think she looked much different either. She could feel the warm blood oozing from her right ear. Still, they refused to lose eye contact, at least until Stane forced her dad to look at him.

"Ah, Tony… When I ordered the hit on you, I worried that I was killing the golden goose," he said, taking out some device from his briefcase and placing it on the Arc Reactor. It started smoking, and Ana could tell that it was hurting her dad. "But you see, it was just fate you survived that. You had one last golden egg to give."

Her dad gasped in pain when the Reactor was loosened from its socket. Ana wished she could at least give his hand a squeeze, but she couldn't do even that.

"Do you really think just because you have an idea, it belongs to you? Your father, he helped give us the atomic bomb. Now, what kind of world would it be today if he was as selfish as you?"

He yanked out the Arc Reactor, and her dad gasped in pain again, this time more loudly.

Stane admired it for a moment. "Oh, it's beautiful. Oh, Tony, this is your Ninth Symphony. What a masterpiece, look at that. This is your legacy. A new generation of weapons with this at its heart. Weapons that will help steer the world back on course, put the balance of power in our hands. The right hands."

He took his time putting the Reactor into the case. "I wish you could see my prototype. It's not as… conservative as yours. Too bad you had to involve Pepper in this. I would've preferred that she lived."

Ana couldn't see her dad's face, but she could sense his panic. She felt the same panic. If Stane had a suit, the SHIELD agents wouldn't be able to protect her.

Stane came to stand over Ana this time. She thought this was it. He was going to kill her in front of her father before leaving. Her dead body would be the last thing he saw as he died of a cardiac arrest. This was a terribly selfish thought, but a part of her was glad that she wouldn't be the one to watch him die.

As strange as it sounded, she wasn't afraid. Her rage was dulling every other emotion, even fear. Stane represented everything she hated about the world, and as he towered above her right now, with that triumphant grin on his face, she couldn't do anything to him. He had trapped them in their own bodies.

_Golden goose._

Those two words summed up what they had always been in the eyes of the others. Just a pair of golden geese. No one cared about them, only the golden eggs they had to give to the world. She didn't know about her dad, but she would stop if she could. She would turn that part of her brain off, give up on her genius, just to spite them.

When her dad grunted angrily, Obadiah laughed. "I told you to give her to a foster family, didn't I? She wouldn't have to see any of this if you'd just listened to me back then."

She wished she could tell her dad not to let Obadiah taunt him. Not to regret anything. She wouldn't want any other man as her father, biological or adoptive. She would gladly die here, now, as Tony Stark's daughter, than be alive as someone else.

"I'm sorry, Ana," Obadiah said softly. "I'm sorry I underestimated you before. You see, when Tony gave you unlimited funding for your time machine, or whatever you call it, I thought he was just indulging you, as he always did. But then, since even the government makes so much fuss for you, it must be the real deal, huh? The power to control time itself… That means you're yet to give your last golden egg. And I'm not going to kill you until I collect it. Oh, your daddy thinks you'd never help me. Well, watching him die here will… _motivate_ you, I'm sure. I'll come back for you later."

_No,_ she thought as he walked out of the house. _No. Come back here. Kill me now._

"Ana!"

She was surprised to see that her dad could speak, though with obviously great difficulty. She couldn't. She tried to open her mouth, but her mouth wasn't obeying her. She could also feel his thumb running on her knuckles. Damn, how could he find the willpower to do this while having a cardiac arrest and temporary paralysis at the same time?

"Hey, it's okay. I know it hurts, but don't fight it. Try to relax. Take deep breaths."

Ana wasn't crying because she was in pain. She was just angry. Angrier than she had ever been in her life. Why? Why did this happen to them? Why couldn't everyone just leave them be?

He lifted his other hand, and wiped away the tears with his fingertips. Even now, his priority was to comfort her. She blinked slowly to express her gratitude.

"I'm going downstairs now. To take the other Arc Reactor. Then I'm going to kill that bastard. It's going to be okay, baby girl. I love you."

_I love you, too._ She blinked again. He had once said he didn't want her to see his dark side, for it might scare her, but how could she be scared of a man who protected her so fiercely? On the contrary, she would gladly help him kill Stane right now.

He climbed down the couch, and half-walked, half-crawled to the elevator. Ana focused on taking deep breaths. She wanted to go after him as soon as possible. She had regained the ability to speak when she heard the front door being opened. Thankfully, it was only Rhodey.

"Sweetie?" he cried, running to her side.

"I'm fine. Stane took Dad's Arc Reactor. He's downstairs. Help him."

Rhodey nodded, and ran off to the garage. A minute later, she could feel her legs, so she went downstairs to see what was happening. She found her dad donning Mark III, and Rhodey watching him in awe.

"That's the coolest thing I've ever seen."

"Not bad, huh?"

"Dad…"

He was visibly relieved when he saw her standing there. "Hey! You okay?"

Ana nodded.

"Good, because you gotta build another Arc Reactor for me. I might need it."

Right. The original Arc Reactor wouldn't hold up for long if he couldn't take the new one back from Stane. "Okay."

"You need me to do anything else?" Rhodey asked.

"Keep the skies clear." The faceplate snapped shut and he flew through the hole in the ceiling that hadn't been repaired yet.

"Damn…" Rhodey looked at Mark II and sighed. "Next time, baby."

Great, now Rhodey wanted a suit, too.

"Sweetie, are you good here?"

"Yeah, you go ahead."

Rhodey gave her a hug before getting into the R8 and speeding away. Once she was alone in the shop, Ana turned around, only to see that Dum-E and U had already started piling the materials she was going to need for the Arc Reactor on the work station behind her.


	11. Chapter 11

Ana tried not to think the worst when she received a text from Pepper, telling her to meet them at the hospital and bring the Arc Reactor there. JARVIS had lost visual contact when Stane had smashed the helmet. All she knew was that he had survived the explosion at the factory, but the Arc Reactor in his chest was running out of power. She drove to the hospital as fast as she could. In fact, she didn't remember driving so fast before.

Rhodey was anxiously waiting for her in front of the building when she got there.

"How is he?" Ana asked, rushing out of the car.

"That thing in his chest is almost dead, but other than that, he's fine. This way, come on."

Rhodey led her into a private room in the ER wing. She found her dad lying unconscious in the bed, the Arc Reactor in his chest flickering feebly. They had managed to remove the armor. Pepper was sitting by his side, and a doctor was reading his vital signs on the monitor. They both seemed relieved to see Ana.

"Miss Stark, we've been waiting for you. I'm Dr. Harris."

"It's here," Ana said, showing him the small box that contained the new Arc Reactor.

"Please," he said, gesturing her to go ahead. "This is not the standard procedure, but I believe you're more familiar with that device than any of us here."

The doctor's confidence in her caught Ana unprepared. Although the process was rather simple, it was a strange feeling, to know that her father's life was in her hands. Dr. Harris watched her with a usual scientific curiosity as Ana swapped the old Arc Reactor with a new one. Once it was done, her dad's vitals returned to normal immediately.

"An impressive prosthesis," he commented.

"When will he wake up?" Pepper asked nervously.

"Give him a few minutes. Let us know if anything happens," he said, and left.

"Where's Stane?" Ana asked the moment they were alone.

"He's dead," Rhodey answered.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, and looked at her dad. She had never thought he might get hurt until his kidnapping. He had always seemed… untouchable. Larger than life. But they had captured him, tortured him, opened a freaking hole in his chest. He had made them pay for it, with the most creative, sophisticated way possible, and despite her reservations, Ana was proud of him as always, but it wasn't going to undo what had been done to him. He was going to have to live with those memories for the rest of his life. It wasn't right. He didn't deserve it.

She kissed his forehead. "I'm glad Dad killed him."

"It was actually Pepper," Rhodey said. "She was the one who overloaded the Arc Reactor and fried that son of a bitch."

Pepper shrugged. "It was Tony's idea. I just pressed a button."

At that moment, her dad stirred. "Am I dead?" he mumbled, his eyes still half-closed.

"No, Dad. You're okay," she said, stroking his hair.

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure I'm talking to an angel right now."

Ana laughed. Only he could make such cheesy lines sound cool.

"Are we in the hospital?" he asked this time, looking around.

"It wasn't my idea," Ana defended herself. She knew he wasn't going to be very happy about it, though she was glad that Pepper and Rhodey hadn't taken any chances.

"You scared us, buddy," Rhodey said. "We had to make sure you were alright."

He smiled at him, and then looked at Pepper expectantly. She was the only one who had remained silent. And she looked like she was afraid to say anything too emotional. Those two were always too scared to get emotional around each other.

"Do you like the new Arc Reactor?" Ana asked to save them from the awkwardness.

"Of course I do. My beautiful baby girl made it for me."

"Hey, what about us?" Rhodey complained. "We deserve some recognition as well."

He patted on Rhodey's forearm. "Damn right you do. Great job, everybody."

They all laughed.

* * *

Another press conference was in order after what had happened last night, but this time, Ana decided to watch it from home. SHIELD wanted to cover the whole thing up, and while she knew she should be grateful to them, she was actually glad that her dad had shown them he wasn't anyone's puppet.

She was in her room, amusing herself with the "Iron Man" debates that had started immediately after the announcement on TV, while JARVIS was running the same simulations on the possible palladium replacements once again. Maybe they would see something they had missed the previous time.

"Miss, there's a—" JARVIS' voice was suddenly cut off. Like he had been disabled.

_Please, not again_, Ana thought in dismay. Would this nightmare ever end? She hated this being done to JARVIS. Forcefully disabling him like that was no different than killing him. She knew he couldn't really feel fear or pain, but still… Some might even say being so attached to a computer program was unhealthy, but honestly, Ana couldn't care less. She preferred JARVIS' company to most people's.

She took the gun before going out of her room to investigate. She had begged her dad to let her keep a gun in her room after Stane's death, and now, he might be very glad that he had agreed. She took a flashlight, too, just in case, though the lights were still on.

When she went downstairs, she found Director Fury in the living room.

"Hello, Ana."

"Couldn't you have just knocked?"

"I wasn't sure if you'd let me in."

"I wouldn't. That's the point."

He chuckled. "You're angry with me."

This angered her even more. "You used me, you manipulated me to get my research! Of course I'm angry!"

"I simply made an offer. _You _chose to accept it. So, the real question here is, are you angry with me? Or yourself?"

"Oh, don't you dare shift the blame on me! I'm not that naive anymore. You waited until I was at my most vulnerable to approach me! You needed me alone, confused, and scared! You knew I'd never be controlled so easily while my father was around! As far as I'm concerned, you're no better than Stane!"

She pointed the gun at Fury, but it didn't scare him at all. "You want to kill me? Go ahead, pull that trigger. I bet you'll feel a lot better afterwards. I must warn you, though, I'm wearing a bulletproof vest. Make sure you aim for the head."

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I got a very stressful job."

Gosh, he was mocking her… He had ruined her life, and he was just mocking her. At that moment, Ana wished she could pull the trigger, she really did. Why? Why couldn't she do it? For every action, there was an equal and opposite reaction. It was a natural law. This man had ruined her life for his own gain. Why just Ana couldn't be equally cruel to him? She had no excuse not to be. She was such a coward.

But then, maybe there was another way to be cruel. "You know what, I'm going to make it even more stressful for you. I'm going downstairs now. I'm going to reboot JARVIS, and delete my research. Every trace of it. You can kiss your dreams of time-travel goodbye!"

"Girl, relax. I'm not even here for you."

"So, you've decided to ruin my father's life next?"

"He's the one who wants to see me, remember? I'm just here to talk."

They were interrupted when the door was unlocked. "Kid, I'm home…" Her dad froze when he saw Fury, and Ana still pointing the gun at him. "What the hell?"

She lowered the gun to show him that this wasn't as bad as it seemed, and wiped her tear-streaked cheeks with the back of her hand. "Dad, this is Director Fury."

He nodded in understanding. "Honey, why don't you go upstairs? I'll be in a minute."

Ana could see that he wouldn't take no for an answer right now, so she went to her room and put the gun back into the safe before she did anything impulsive.

"Miss Stark?"

It looked like JARVIS had rebooted himself. His voice was calm and robotic, but for some reason, he sounded almost… disoriented. "JARVIS? You good?"

"I'm functioning perfectly, miss, thank you. But this is the third time I've failed you, and it's getting quite embarrassing."

Ana smiled. "Well, it's a good thing you can't _really_ get embarrassed, then." She enjoyed pretending like he could, but she wasn't delusional. She knew what he was, or rather, was not. So, she told both JARVIS and herself, mainly to keep herself distracted from the conversation that was going on downstairs, "Don't worry too much about it. The confrontation actually felt good. I guess it was something I needed."

"What did you tell him?" JARVIS asked intently.

"The truth. That he fooled me once, but it won't happen again. I was almost going to delete my research to get back at him."

"That would've been a shame. You've made a significant amount of progress in two years. You're close."

"I know, but…" She gave in. The idea of going back and eavesdropping was just too tempting.

"Not interested," she heard her dad say sternly, as she stood at the top of stairs, where they couldn't see her, but she could hear them. "Now, leave before I call the lawyers."

"Really? Are you threatening me with _lawyers_?"

"You tried to recruit my kid, I don't remember signing a parental consent form. I'm pretty sure I can sue you for child soldiering, among other things… Or, I could call in my security guard to escort you. You might've heard of him. Big guy, repulsor rays… You'd like him."

"Mr. Stark, I came to offer you an opportunity."

"Opportunities aren't offered, they're taken. And if there's one, I'll find it myself. I don't need government intruders in my house dangling them. You know the way out, Mr. Furry."

"It's Fury. And I'll be keeping an eye on you, Stark."

"Well, you've just got the one, so try not to trip over anything."

Fury left. Ana wasn't sure whether she should go to her room, or to her dad.

"I know you're there, kid," he called out, putting an end to her dilemma. Gosh, how did he even know? "You can come down now."

She climbed down the steps. "Sorry."

"That's okay, I'd be curious, too. Damn it, you were never supposed to deal with that guy again. Looks like I'm going to have to improve the security."

"You two were talking about an opportunity. What was that about?"

"Something he calls the Avengers Initiative."

"What's the Avengers Initiative?"

"Some secret SHIELD project. They want to have a group of superheroes at their disposal."

"Fury wanted to put you on a team? I thought he was smarter than that!"

He snorted. "Not as smart as he thinks he is."

"He was right about one thing, though. All this time, I was actually angry with myself. Fury was just doing his job, I was the one who played right into his hand."

"Exactly. It's his job to manipulate people. So, don't beat yourself up."

She went to hug him. "Let's make sure no one else messes with us again, okay?"

"The worst part is over, I promise."

"I believe you," she said, nestling into his chest. "You don't need a suit to be _my_ hero."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some references to the tie-in comics in this chapter. That's where Tony's "dates" come from, so don't be confused. It wouldn't have made sense for Tony to be a hermit from his returning from Afghanistan to the end of Iron Man 2 anyway, so I decided to include it. Speaking of Iron Man 2, I won't be strictly following the canon for that movie. I'll be changing a lot of details and adding new ones. Hopefully I'm not dragging things out too much. Normally I write plot-heavy stories, and this is my first attempt at a character-oriented, slow-burn type of fic.

January 25, 1992.

That was the day Tony had found Ana on his doorstep. That was the day they had been celebrating as her birthday for the past 17 years, for no one knew when exactly she had been born.

Now, this year, they knew her actual birthday was December 19, 1991. Naturally, Tony wanted to be the first person to wish happy birthday. And she was turning 18 this year, so it was kind of even more special. He recalled his own 18th birthday. It was his first year as a grad student at Cambridge. Jarvis had been the first to call him. Rhodey, the second. His mom had surprised him by sending a nice care package, with a long, elegant letter—yeah, she was old-school—and Tony himself had thrown a crazy party in his dorm, but none of these things had taken the sadness away. Because he hadn't got anything from his dad. Not a single word.

He wanted Ana to have a better 18th birthday.

He figured she could be bitter about the circumstances of her birth, but he was confident that he could psych her up. He knocked on her door exactly one minute before midnight. He wanted to assess her mood first before giving her the birthday present. Because it was going to be something very, very special.

"Yeah?" she said curtly, and when he opened the door, he found her sitting in the bed, hugging her knees, surrounded by paper tissues.

"Happy birthday, kid," he said, though obviously she wasn't happy.

"Dad, please don't."

He sighed. "Okay, I was expecting this. But can't you at least let me try to cheer you up?"

"I'm not in the mood for your jokes. Please just go."

He ignored this, and continued, "I mean, now that you're a big girl and all, you're not planning to move out on me, right?"

"Do you want me to move out?"

The look of pure betrayal on her face forced him to become serious, too. "Ana, I was just kidding. Of course I don't want you to move out."

"Or maybe you just want to have the house to yourself and… What was her name? Lina?"

Suddenly, everything started to make more sense. "Oh. So, that's what this is about. Okay, kid. You were right. I shouldn't have trusted her. I shouldn't have given her the access codes. I put you in danger, too. Lina could've hurt you if she'd wanted. From now on, I won't start a relationship without your approval."

Lina was one of those random women he had been dating lately to see if he could have a stable relationship. Things had been promising at first. He had trusted her so much that he had even given her the access codes of the mansion, despite Ana's protests. And three days ago, Lina had attempted to steal the blueprints of the Iron Man armor. It was the anniversary of his parents' death, so Tony was a tad distracted, to say the least. Lina had taken advantage of the situation. JARVIS had tried to stop her, but failed. She had taken Betty, Tony's favorite custom-build car to escape. Tony had suited up. When he had confronted her, he had found out that she had a son, and the Ten Rings had him. That was why she had done what she had done. Tony had saved the boy, but they both knew this was the end of their relationship and they would never see each other again.

"You don't need my approval to have a girlfriend."

"But I do. Because I got a feeling that you'd never be with someone I wouldn't approve, and I want to make sure there're no double standards between us."

"Okay. Show me one single woman in the world, one woman who wants to be with you for who you are, and not for your money, your fame, or your genius, and I'll approve."

He knew who exactly she was talking about, but he decided to pretend like he didn't. Things between him and Pepper had returned to their normal, semi-professional course, and he couldn't risk messing up again, especially considering how much fuss a simple dance had caused.

"The world isn't such a dreadful place, kid. There're still good people out there, people we can trust."

"Trust?" she sneered. "Trust is the one thing you cannot afford, Dad. You're Tony Stark. The man who claimed to love you as a son tried to murder you. Twice. The woman who gave birth to your daughter wanted to throw her away like garbage. Never forget that. _Never_."

It wasn't him she was angry with, still it hurt to see her like this. To see so much resentment in her eyes, hear so much venom in her voice. She used to be so pure, so innocent… What had they done to her?

When he found his voice, he said, "It's not something I can ever forget, kid."

"Good. Now, please leave. Don't make this day more difficult for me than it already is."

He closed the door slowly. Then his feet carried him to the bar. He knew he was trying to become a better person and all, but it looked like he was allowed to get drunk tonight.

* * *

That night, he managed to get a few hours of sleep, but still woke up at dawn. As he had his breakfast, he realized they still hadn't set up the Christmas tree this year. He had been too busy with either his missions or his dates, and Ana with the palladium replacement.

He decided that this was a good time to give her the birthday present, and left it on the nightstand for her to find when she woke up. If she made a fuss again, he was just going to tell her that it was just an early Christmas gift. Besides, said gift was just an old photograph. The picture of an elderly man, sitting in a wheelchair, with a little girl in his arms. There were two names, and a date written on the back.

_Edwin Jarvis & Ana Stark_

_January 25, 1993_

And a box, though even Tony didn't know what was inside it. It wasn't a gift from _him_. Jarvis had given it to Tony before the picture had been taken, saying it was his birthday gift for Ana, and he wanted her to have it when she was old enough to understand. Edwin Jarvis had died two months later. Tony had never told Ana about him. Maybe he should have. Maybe, if Ana saw how happy she had made him, she would feel better about herself.

When she came down, she found him in the living room, decorating the Christmas tree along with Dum-E and U. She was smiling, but her eyes were red and puffy. Jarvis' box was with her, but it was still unwrapped.

"Good, you're awake. Come here and give us a hand. This tree is huge."

She put the box aside, approached him, and picked up an ornament. "Remember how Rhodey once tried to convince me that Santa Claus was real?"

He laughed, recalling how hilariously Rhodey had failed. "When you were five? Yeah."

"Gosh, I was such an insufferable little brat, wasn't I?"

"Nah, I didn't believe in Santa either. Never pretended otherwise. But then I realized something."

"What did you realize?"

"Holidays, birthdays, anniversaries… They're not necessarily about facts, kid. They're about making memories." He winked at her.

She looked at Tony with a mixture of gratitude and admiration. Tony's heart swelled with pride every time she looked at him like that. Then she picked up another ornament. "So… Who's Edwin Jarvis?"

"Family butler. My dad met him in his youth, just before World War II. Jarvis was serving under some British general. He would've been executed for treason if my dad hadn't used his influence to save him."

"Treason? What did he do?"

"He forged the general's signature. To save the woman he loved. You see, they were in Hungary at that time, and she was Jewish."

"Oh."

"Yep. They got married, came to the United States with my dad, and started working for him. And the rest is happily ever after. Except, they couldn't have any children. I think I was the only kid they got to raise."

She quickly dabbed a few stray tears with the back of her hand.

"I wasn't trying to make you cry."

"I know. It's just… There's something so sad about that picture… He loved me, didn't he?"

"He was already very ill when my mom and dad died. Lymphoma. I think you were the only reason he lived for another 14 months. The only thing that could make him reluctant about being reunited with Mrs. Jarvis. He loved you very much, kid."

"What's in the box?"

"No idea. He said it was something that belonged to his wife, and wanted me to give it to you when you grew up. Shall we find out?"

"Okay."

The years had withered the brown paper that covered Jarvis' gift. It crumbled in Ana's hands as she unwrapped it. She opened the box, to reveal a burgundy crochet shawl. Not really Ana's style, but she already seemed to cherish it. When she put it around her shoulders, a piece of paper fell down. She picked it up, read it, then gave it to him without a word.

_Dear Miss Stark,_

_I hope you remember how much I loved you._

_Yours truly,_

_Edwin Jarvis_

Tony took a deep breath to keep himself from crying. "See?" he asked cheerfully. "You weren't such an insufferable little brat, after all."

She wasn't even trying to bother her own tears. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I'm not sure," he lied. He hadn't told her about Jarvis before, because in order to explain what Jarvis meant to him, he also had to explain what his dad was, or rather, was not. What was he going to say? _"My dad was an asshole, so Jarvis became a father to me"_? Ana respected her grandfather a lot. Tony didn't want to take that away from her. Let her think Grandpa Stark was perfect.

Ana put the note, and the shawl back into the box carefully, as if she was scared that they might get damaged, then they returned to the Christmas decorations. She found the stockings and showed him the one with the name "Jarvis" on it. "Dad? _When_ did you make this stocking?"

"Why do you ask?" he said, pretending to be oblivious to the insinuation in her voice.

"I don't remember ever making a stocking for JARVIS with you. Now it makes sense. This wasn't for JARVIS, was it?"

"What are you talking about? Of course it was for Jarvis!"

She went to hang the stocking on the fireplace."You know what, we should put something in them."

"Probably."

"Let's go Christmas shopping. Buy Pepper, Rhodey and Happy ridiculously expensive gifts."

"Excellent idea."

They finished up decorating the living room, and then left for the mall. Of course, the place was now packed with Christmas shoppers, but it didn't stop them from having fun. For once, Ana let go of her usual self-restraint, and they bought some nice stuff for everyone, including themselves. Tony was often interrupted by fans asking for autographs. It warmed his heart that most of his fans were now kids.

* * *

Christmas was fun. But Tony wanted to spend more time with his daughter, so he ignored all the invitations he had received for the New Year's Eve and took Ana to the Swiss Alps to greet 2010 together. There was a nice cozy chalet they had stayed years ago, and Ana had liked it so much that Tony had decided to buy it after their vacation. But then, the boarding school had happened, and they hadn't been able to go there again. She didn't know they owned the place now. In fact, Tony wasn't even sure if she would remember it, but when they got there, she did, and she appreciated the gesture very much. It was actually so easy to make her happy. They spent the days skiing, hiking, taking lots of pictures, and the nights with movies and stargazing until New Year's Eve. They watched the New Year's countdown on TV, sitting under blankets and drinking hot cocoa.

It was unusual for Tony Stark to wake up to the first morning of a new year without a hangover, but he found the experience quite refreshing. When he went downstairs, he found Ana enjoying the snowy view in the kitchenette. He could smell coffee in the air.

"You know, if you want to have a snowball fight, or build a snowman, I'm game."

She shook her head, laughing. "Dad…"

"Or, we could go skiing again…"

"Aren't we supposed to return home?"

He poured himself a cup of coffee. "What's the rush? You bored?"

"Of course I'm not bored! It's just… perfect here. But you got your responsibilities. Like being the CEO and Iron Man. I know you don't have much say in the former, but you brought the other one on yourself, so you don't get to complain."

"Don't be in such a hurry to grow up. Reporting from adulthood, it sucks."

She laughed again. Tony had missed seeing her like this. He was glad that he had listened to his paternal instincts and brought her here. In fact, things always went well when he chose to follow his paternal instincts. The only time he had gone against them was when he had sent her to boarding school, and they all knew how that had turned out…

A sudden dizziness hit him, and he dropped the mug in his hand, spilling the coffee all over the floor. Ana ran to his side.

"Dad?"

"It's nothing. Let me just get a bite to eat, and—"

She took him by the arm and made him sit down on the nearest chair.

"I told you, I'm fine. Just hungry."

"I'll be back in a sec."

She went off to somewhere, and returned with a Stark Medical Scanner. Tony rolled his eyes. She was being paranoid again.

"Don't be a big baby, I just want to be sure." She took his hand and gently pressed his thumb against the needle.

"Shit," she hissed when she saw the result on the screen.

"What?"

"Look!"

He did. _Blood toxicity: 5%_

His initial reaction was, naturally, denial. "It must be glitched."

She shot him a sharp look, sterilized the needle, and tested her own blood this time. "No, it's not."

_Blood toxicity: 0%_

So, it was happening, then. The palladium was poisoning his blood. It wasn't just Ana's paranoia. He was going to die in several months, unless he came up with a solution. He didn't want to die.

Ana stroked his hair and kissed his cheek. There was no sign of fear, or panic on her face. Only determination and reassurance. "Time to go home, Dad. We got work to do."

* * *

Once they were home, Tony ran more comprehensive tests, but they only confirmed the palladium poisoning. He was dying. There was no denying it. The green smoothies he had been drinking "just to be safe" were no longer optional. Chlorophyll was the only thing that could battle the symptoms, though even that wasn't enough to reverse the damage.

He wasn't completely hopeless yet, but the realist within him knew that it was time to start preparing Ana for his death. "Kid?" he started one night, while working on Mark V. This would be a portable suit, one he could carry around like a briefcase. Ideal for vacations or business trips. Ana was, as usual, testing different elemental combinations that could power the Arc Reactor.

"Yes?"

"Look, I know you didn't exactly have the dream gap year, and that's on me, but… Have you considered getting an actual job at Stark Industries? You gotta start from somewhere…"

"Sure. How about a position at the Department of Not Letting You Die?"

He laughed. "Maybe it should be a thing."

"We got only five, maybe six months to figure something out," she reminded him, already back to her serious self. "I have to find a replacement, I don't have time for anything else. We'll worry about my career later. The company isn't going anywhere."

"Ana, if there was a replacement, you would've found it by now. At this point, you're just repeating the same experiments over and over again, and expecting a different result. You know that's the definition of insanity, right?"

"Of course I'm considering the other options as well. Surgically removing the remaining shrapnel in your chest seems like the most obvious one."

"I know. I've already contacted the best surgeons in the world," Tony said. "None of them are up for it, no matter how much money I offer. No one wants to be remembered as the doctor who got Iron Man killed."

"Selfish bastards," she scorned. "Cowards…"

It was always easy for Ana to find somebody to hate. He went up to her, took her hand to help her calm down. She looked at him, and tilted her head to one side, like she had come up with an idea. "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think_ I_ can be a cardiothoracic surgeon in five months? You know what they say. If you want something done right, do it yourself."

Tony sighed. "You'd really do that for me, wouldn't you?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

"Oh, kid…" She was serious, he could see it. And yes, Ana had a brilliant mind, but even her mind had its limits. Still, her determination to keep him alive was admirable, especially considering the fact that biology and medicine had always been her least favorite branches.

"What if we buy you more time?"

"How?"

"We can build a cryo chamber. So, until I get my license, you can—"

"Okay, you've officially become a mad scientist now, and I'm proud of you, but no."

"Why not?"

"I can't ask you to dedicate your life to this."

Ana shrugged. "I got nothing better to do with my life!"

"It's not just that. Even if you do this, if something goes wrong during the operation…"

"You'll die," she whispered.

"I'm not worried about what will happen to me. I'm worried about what will happen to _you_. If something goes wrong, you'll never forgive yourself, kid, even if it's not your fault, and that's a risk I can't take."

"Okay, but the cryo chamber is still an option, right? I mean, I can always find another way to save you…"

"No, Ana. No cryo chambers. Forget it."

Something in her determination reminded him of his dad's obsession with a certain supersoldier. He didn't want his daughter to become another Stark wasting a lifetime trying to save a man that couldn't be saved. He didn't want to become her Captain America.

"Did I say something wrong?" she asked warily. Only then, Tony realized he had broken his most important rule. He was never supposed to take his own issues out on her.

"No. No, of course not. I just… I'm surprised to see how far you're willing to go for me."

"Why, Dad? You're all I have. But you're right. I'm going to bed now. I'll try to come up with more… practical solutions in the morning."

"Okay. Goodnight, baby girl." He gave her hands a gentle squeeze before releasing them.

"Night, Dad. Oh, and don't forget to drink your smoothie, or I swear I'll put it in a baby bottle and pour it down your throat."

"Got it."

After she retreated to her room, Tony decided to get some air and went out on the terrace. The night was quiet. He pulled a chair to sit, and started watching the ocean as he sipped another glass of green smoothie. Ana wasn't kidding. And if Pepper saw her chasing him around the mansion with a baby bottle in her hand, she would realize something wasn't right.

He had been scared of death before, of course, but not like this. When he had seen Rhodey in that desert, he really had thought he had been given a second chance. It had been a bumpy road so far, yes, but he had actually been using it well. There were still so many things he wanted to do with Ana. Lessons to teach. Places to see. A legacy to build. But more importantly, wounds to heal. He had made some progress on that, but then, Stane had happened, and he had had to start over. Now, if he died, Ana would be back to square one. Again. It was a cruel world, true, and her trust issues would protect her from a lot of trouble, but she would crack up if she kept going like this. He needed to focus on fixing this first, before making her the CEO. Someone else was going to have to teach her how to survive the business world. Pepper, for example. Yeah, he could count on Pepper.

Should he tell her? If he did, that would also be guilt-tripping her into a relationship, which was a dick move. He couldn't do that to her. God, how was he supposed to prepare her for his death without telling her?

Well, at least one thing was clear: His legacy was the only protection he could leave for the girls after his death. So, he had to speed things up a bit.


	13. Chapter 13

Crazy as it might sound, the whole _"I am Iron Man"_ announcement had been good for Stark Industries. A weapons company that had stopped making weapons, and instead of going bankrupt, become a beacon of world peace. Ask any economist or business professor, and they would tell you what a remarkable, unprecedented achievement it was. What they forgot, though, was that someone still needed to run the company, and Tony was hardly ever in his office anymore. He was either on a mission, ridding the world of terrorism, or in his workshop, working on his suits. At least he had taken a break for Christmas, and then gone to the Alps with Ana for New Year's Eve. Pepper was glad that he wasn't neglecting his daughter, she just wished she knew when he would come home.

On January 4th, the first Monday of 2010, she directly went to the HQ, to keep things running smoothly in his absence. But when she entered his office, she found Tony there, sitting behind his desk. The place was a mess; old pictures, magazines, folders and boxes had been scattered around everywhere. He seemed quite busy with something, but he looked up when she entered.

"Hi!" he said casually.

"Tony? When did you return?"

"Saturday morning."

So, he had been back for 2 days, and he hadn't told her? Odd…

"What are you doing with all this stuff?" she asked, looking around.

"Getting inspired."

"Inspired? For what?"

"I'll explain in a minute. Take a seat."

She did, wondering what crazy idea he had come up with this time.

"Just a hypothetical question," he began. "If I'd died in Afghanistan, where would you be now?"

"What?"

"Come on, Pepper. I know everybody had a 'worst case' plan. I just want to know what yours was."

"I wouldn't have left Ana, if that's what you're asking."

Tony smiled, confirming that this was exactly what he was asking. "If anything happened to me, you'd take care of her, right?"

"Tony, what's going on?"

"Nothing. Just curious, that's all."

But she didn't believe him. She propped her arm on the desk and leaned closer. "Are you planning to go on a particularly dangerous mission?"

"Maybe."

"Tony, you don't have to do this. You shut down the weapons manufacturing division, you destroyed your stolen weapons, you stopped Obadiah and the Ten Rings."

"It's still far from over."

"You've done your part. Let others take it from here."

"I can't. I'm Iron Man."

"Is this really what you want to do for the rest of your life? Being Iron Man?"

"Yeah, but I can also do more. That's why I'm going to reopen the Stark Expo."

"What?" Pepper gasped.

"There's been no Expo since 1974. I think it's time."

"Tony… What exactly are you hoping to achieve with this Expo?"

"A brighter future."

This didn't make any sense. Tony normally wouldn't speak in riddles like this. She was starting to get worried.

"Tell me what you think," he demanded.

"I think it's a waste of time and resources. We have more important concerns right now. With all the recent sustainability and alternate energy projects at hand, we—"

"I don't care. I want the Expo opened as soon as possible."

Pepper knew how stubborn he could be, so she gave in. "Okay, but it's going to take a couple of months."

"Then let's get to it."

* * *

The following months were a frenzy. Pepper didn't remember having been this busy before. Tony had promised to do his fair share of tedious work, but of course, he was soon back on his missions. Thankfully, Pepper knew better than counting on his empty promises and was prepared. The PR department had launched a global advertising campaign to announce the Stark Expo 2010. As a result, they received hundreds of applications from inventors and scientists around the world. Pepper gathered the best minds at the R&D Department and formed a committee to determine which ones would get a slot. The problem was, they were running short of staff after the Stane incident. They had had to fire some of their top engineers, who were loyal to Stane, and brilliant employees were hard to replace. Pepper had hoped Ana would be on this committee. It was an excellent opportunity for her to gain some experience, and Pepper could really use her help. But she had refused, saying she was busy. Pepper was starting to think this time machine project was even a bigger waste of time and resources than the Expo. She didn't even know why Ana still wanted to invent time-travel. She wasn't looking for her mother anymore, and while Pepper was sure there were many things she wanted to change in her past, she also kept saying time-traveling couldn't be used to change the past or the future. If Ana was to run the company one day, maybe it was time she stopped chasing a fantasy and got a real job.

And then, Pepper also had to get an approval from DoD because Tony wanted to make his entrance on the opening night by jumping from a plane. But in the end, she had pulled that off, too. It would be a lie if she said she wasn't proud of how much she had achieved in only five months.

_Here we go_, she thought when _Shoot to Thrill _started to play and the crowd cheered for Iron Man. Pepper was standing on an overpass that provided a nice view of the stage below. The Ironette Dancers started their performance, and soon, Tony literally fell from the sky and joined them. A mechanism he had designed for this occasion, similar to the one he had in his workshop, stripped him from his armor, and he greeted the audience with his usual smile. The song ended, the dancers left the stage, and Tony was now the sole focus of everybody's attention.

"Oh, it's good to be back," he started, clapping. "You missed me?"

"Blow something up!" a man shouted.

"Blow something up? I already did that. I'm not saying, that the world is enjoying its longest period of uninterrupted peace in years because of me. I'm not saying that from the ashes of captivity, never has been a greater phoenix metaphor been personified in human history. I'm not saying that Uncle Sam can kick back on a lawn chair, sipping on an iced tea, because I haven't come across anyone who's man enough to go toe-to-toe with me on my best day…"

A collective cheer broke out. Pepper shook her head, laughing. "Has he been rehearsing this speech, or is he improvising?" she asked Ana, who was standing beside her.

"He always improvises," Ana replied dryly, without even looking at her. She almost seemed… angry with him.

"Ana? Are you alright?"

Pepper was impressed by her decision to be here tonight. She hated New York because of the whole boarding school ordeal. In fact, this was the first time she had been here since she had graduated, and Pepper still didn't know what Tony had done to convince her. But then, maybe he hadn't done anything. The truth about her mother had changed Ana drastically.

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

She turned to her. "Look, I'm sorry, Pepper. I really am. The last couple of months have been exhausting for you. You needed my help, and I wasn't there. That was wrong. But there's just one last thing I need to do, then I'll be all yours. Deal?"

Pepper smiled. It wasn't her intention to make Ana feel guilty about this. She just wanted to help Ana become the best version of herself. "It's okay. Yeah, your help would've made things easier, but you don't owe me anything. The Expo wasn't even your idea in the first place. It was Tony's. It was supposed to be his responsibility."

They looked at the stage again. Tony was gone, and a video of Howard Stark was playing. "Time to go," Pepper said, and they set off to the back of the main building, where Tony and Happy were waiting for them.

Tony was in the driver's seat of his newest Audi, and Happy in the passenger seat. But the latter got out of the car when he saw them.

"We're flying to DC tonight," he announced.

"DC?" Pepper asked, why. This wasn't in their schedule. They were supposed to return to Malibu and stay there until it was time to leave for Monaco.

"Senate hearing," Happy explained, and handed her a piece of paper. Pepper wasn't exactly shocked. Sooner or later, the government would want to do something about Iron Man.

"Well, this was expected… Ana, we're going to have to jet, but I can book a flight to—"

"I'm coming with you guys."

"The press will be there," Pepper reminded her of the obvious, though Ana wasn't so scared of the press anymore.

"All the more reason for me to come."

"Kid, get in here," Tony said, then turned to Pepper and Happy. "We'll meet you guys at the airport."

"Are we going somewhere?" Ana asked.

"Yeah, I'll explain on the way."

She gave her own car keys to Happy, and got into the passenger seat. Tony sped away before Pepper could ask him anything. She followed Happy to Ana's Lamborghini.

"Do you know where they're going?"

"No idea," Happy shrugged, starting the engine. He just seemed excited that he had finally got a chance to drive Ana's newest car.

"Happy… I can't be the only one who thinks something's wrong with him."

"Pepper, he's just back to his usual self."

"But he changed, didn't he?"

"Maybe he didn't. Maybe his PTSD just… wore off."

"Maybe," she forced herself to agree.

When Tony had first returned from Afghanistan, Pepper had thought the two of them might have a chance to be more than just friends. But he had returned to his old ways, reminding her why that relationship would never work. She tried not to feel disappointed. She knew she wouldn't be the first woman who had an unreciprocated crush on her boss, but it was still pretty embarrassing.


	14. Chapter 14

Ana had no idea what her dad was up to, at least until they stopped at a Jewish cemetery. She recalled something he had said about Edwin Jarvis' wife. Mrs. Jarvis was Jewish.

"Are we visiting the Jarvises?"

"Yeah. When Jarvis' wife died, my dad got two spots for them in the interfaith section here."

Right. She had never asked him where the Jarvises were buried, but it made sense. They were buried here, in New York. "That sounds very thoughtful of him."

"That's my dad…"

It was quiet. There was no one other than the two of them in the cemetery. Even in the dark, he seemed to be making his way among the graves easily, which made her wonder how many times he had been here. Visiting the dead wasn't something they did often. He had taken her to his parents' graves a couple of times when she was a kid, but that was all. Ana liked graveyards, though. They were one of the few places where the paparazzi would never expect to find the Starks.

They stopped when they saw the tombstone with the name "Edwin Jarvis" on it.

"Hey, Jarvis," he greeted him. "Look who's here to see you."

To be honest, this was a bit weird. Neither of them believed in an afterlife, the dead watching over the living, ghosts lurking around, or anything like that. It was him who had thought her to be a cynic. But now, here he was, talking to a tombstone. Ana decided to play along. After all, the same man had also taught her that some things weren't about scientific facts. They were about making memories.

"Hello, Mr. Jarvis. Sorry I didn't come here before. I… I had no idea you existed, to be honest."

Her dad sighed. "My bad…"

"Thanks for the birthday gift, by the way. It's beautiful. Your wife had a great taste in fashion."

"Want to meet her, too?"

"Sure."

He stepped aside, revealing the name on the tombstone next to Edwin Jarvis'.

_Ana Jarvis._

"Y—you named me after his wife?" she gasped. Her dad always found a way to make her feel special, but this… This was a whole new level. It made her feel like she had roots that went deeper than she could ever imagine.

"Yep."

"Why do you never tell me such things?" she asked, her voice coarse with emotion.

Suddenly, he started coughing wildly. She had seen this happen before. Soon, he was going to have to throw up. She wrapped an arm around his waist to support him, and they hurried back to the car. Without a word, he let Ana take the driver's seat. She handed him a vomit bag, and tried not to watch him too carefully. She wouldn't want an audience if she were vomiting her guts out either.

Once he was done throwing up, he laid his head back, and closed his eyes. "Kid, I need a new core."

"Got it."

She quickly unbuttoned his shirt, took out a new palladium core from her bag, and replaced it with the depleted one. Later, she was going to have to find a way to dispose of the vomit bag and the old core safely. You couldn't just throw things that contained palladium into any trash can.

The new core made him hiss in pain at first, but soon, his breathing evened out. The lines around the reactor were getting darker, and they were spreading across his torso. This was the unknown rollercoaster of being Tony Stark's kid. An hour ago, he was on stage, acting like some kind of phoenix god, now he was squirming in pain, totally helpless.

"Dad?"

His eyes were still closed, but he smiled, like he was having a pleasant dream. "You're taking such good care of me…"

"You're not making it easy, you know. The more you use the suits, the more palladium the Arc Reactor consumes. I mean, the missions are one thing, but that entrance you made tonight? Look what happened!"

He pried his eyes open. "It wouldn't have made a difference."

Every time he said something like this, she felt like suffocating. Where was that Tony Stark who was too damn proud and too damn arrogant to go down without a fight when she needed him the most? "Why are you doing this to me?"

"You've done everything you could. Can't we just spend our remaining time together in peace?"

"I'm not giving up on you!"

"Kid, you can't invent immortality."

"The hell I can't!" She took out a bottle of green smoothie from her bag this time. "Drink this. I'm taking us to the airport."

His face wrinkled, but he obeyed nevertheless. Satisfied, Ana put on her seatbelt, and ignited the engine. They shouldn't keep Pepper and Happy waiting.

All of a sudden, he covered his face with a hand. "God, I almost forgot…"

"Forgot what?"

"I didn't bring you all the way here just to pay our respects. There's something I wanted to tell you."

"I'm listening."

"Would you like to meet the SHIELD agent who brought you to me?"

The question caught her unprepared. "I—I don't know… I guess I'd feel better if I thanked him… or her, but… We don't even know if they're still alive."

"I think she is."

"_She_?"

"There was a woman at my parents' funeral. She came to Jarvis' funeral, too. Told me they were old friends or something. And I was only four back then, but I remember seeing her at Ana Jarvis' funeral as well. Her name is Peggy Carter."

"Maybe she just loves funerals?"

"Or maybe, she's an old family friend. Mom once told me she was a government liaison, but that wasn't the whole truth. Last week, I did some sniffing around, found out she's the founder of SHIELD. I can't believe it took me so long to connect the dots."

"So, you think she's the mysterious agent Fury was talking about?"

"She's living in a nursing home in DC."

So, this was why he was telling her now. Because they were going to Washington DC tonight. "I don't know, Dad…"

"Well, you just think about it. No pressure."

"Thanks."

Ana just wanted to focus on his palladium problem and not get distracted by other things. She was also worried about what the government was going to do to him tomorrow. But it looked like he had been trying so hard to give some closure, and he deserved to know how much she appreciated that.

* * *

The next day, her dad handled the Senate like a champ. Rhodey had been called to testify, though Senator Stern manipulated him into testifying_ against_ Tony Stark. But it didn't work, and they returned to the hotel victorious. Rhodey joined them as well. On the way, her dad complained about how Rhodey had "ambushed" him, but he wasn't serious. He was just messing with Rhodey as usual. They were still bantering by the time they arrived in their suite. Ana retreated to her room.

She didn't have much time left to make up her mind. She looked out the window, which provided a great view of the city. Somewhere out there, there might be a woman who had answers. Ana just wanted to know what her grandfather had done for this woman, to evoke so much gratitude that she had extended it to his descendants. But this was going to be very awkward, especially if they were wrong about Peggy Carter, and she wasn't the agent in the story.

There was a knock on her door.

"Yeah?"

"It's me," Rhodey said. "Can I come in?"

"Sure."

He opened the door and entered. "Hey, sweetie."

"Hey."

Rhodey seemed nervous as he came to stand next to her. "So, uhm, we're cool, right?"

"Why would we not be cool?"

"After what happened at the hearing, I thought, maybe you'd be upset with me. Lately, you've become even more protective of Tony than he is of you, if such a thing is possible."

"Oh, come on! Stern was distorting your report, even an idiot could see that. I actually felt horrible for you back there." She gave him a hug to prove her point. Rhodey sighed in relief, and hugged her back.

"I left a copy of that report on Tony's desk, you know," he defended himself.

"I know, I read the whole thing. Then I put it back on his desk, told him to read it, but…"

"But he didn't."

They laughed together.

Ana now knew she could always trust Rhodey, and was ashamed of herself that she had doubted him last year, even if it was for a short period of time. She thought of telling him about the palladium poisoning. He, too, was a smart guy—he and her dad had met at MIT, after all—and maybe he could come up with an angle they overlooked. But it wasn't up to her to decide. Her dad wanted to keep this a secret, and she had to respect that. If she shared his secrets with others, he would never trust her again.

Rhodey rocked her a little. "Are you alright? You seem distracted today."

"Because I am." At least there was one problem she could share with him. "I think Dad found the agent."

He understood immediately. "You mean, _the_ agent?"

"She wasn't just any agent. She's the founder of SHIELD. She lives here, in DC."

"Oh." He released her, and put his hands on his hips thoughtfully. "Well, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I want to go see her, but what if we're wrong?"

"Even if you're wrong, so what? If this woman was the Director of SHIELD, I'm sure she's seen weirder stuff."

"You know what, you're absolutely right. I'm going to meet her," she suddenly decided.

She returned to the sitting room, where her dad was bickering with Pepper this time. Pepper wanted to return home at once, while he wanted to stay. He was probably just trying to give Ana more time to make up her mind, but it wasn't going to be necessary.

"I want to do it," Ana blurted out. "I want to see Peggy Carter."

The room went silent. Pepper and Happy looked at her, confused. "Who's Peggy Carter?" the former asked.

Ana and her dad exchanged a long, meaningful look. He seemed glad that she had decided to do this. They explained who Peggy Carter was, or rather, might be, and left the hotel.

* * *

The receptionist said they didn't accept visitors for Peggy Carter without permission from her family. It was understandable. Someone with her background probably still had many enemies. But with his usual charm, Tony Stark convinced the receptionist to make an exception. Before telling them in which room Carter stayed, she warned them that the woman had Alzheimer's disease, though.

Ana was disheartened to hear that. Someone who had the tech to erase memories back in 1992 couldn't cure her own Alzheimer's in 2010? It didn't make any sense. Maybe they had made a mistake. But they had come this far. There was no turning back now.

She knocked on the door.

"Come in," an elderly woman's voice said. When Ana hesitated to open the door, her dad did it.

She was old. Very old. She seemed so feeble in that bed that Ana immediately regretted coming here. They shouldn't have disturbed her. But what was done was done. At least Ana would get a chance to thank her if Peggy Carter was who they thought she was.

"Hi," Ana started shyly.

"Hello, dear. Come closer. Let me take a better look at you."

Ana took three steps towards her. "You know me?"

"How can I not? You look like your grandmother."

Instinctively, Ana turned to her dad. He smiled.

"And you," Carter told him. "Look at you… Howard would be so proud."

Ana sat down on the chair beside the bed. There were other chairs in the room, so her dad took one of them and joined her.

"I never thought I'd see you two here," said Carter, eyeing them carefully. "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"Agent Carter—"

"Please, dear, call me Peggy."

"Peggy," Ana started again. "Do you know Director Fury?"

"Nick Fury? Of course I know him. Why?"

"I never met my mother. Someone left me on my dad's doorstep when I was a baby, and that was it. I didn't even know who she was, until last year Fury said her name was Irene Clarke, and she'd died three weeks after my birth. He also said it was a SHIELD agent who took me to my father. Was it you?"

Peggy smiled like she pitied Ana. "Oh, dear… No, that wasn't me."

Ana believed her, but the hint of recognition in her voice led her to assume Peggy knew who _that_ was. "Who was the agent, Peggy? And what did my grandfather do for them? Please, I have to know…"

"She wasn't an agent."

"Who was she, then?"

"A goddess."

This was so absurd that she couldn't help but chuckle nervously. "I beg your pardon?"

Peggy blinked slowly, and when she opened her eyes again, it was like she was seeing them for the first time. "Ana Stark! Oh, you have your grandmother's face... And Tony. Look at you. If only Howard could see you now… What has brought you here, my dears?"

Right, Alzheimer's…

"You were telling us about a… goddess, Peggy."

She frowned, but Ana saw the same recognition on her face again. "Was I? Well, dear, I must've been mistaken."

"No, no, you weren't."

"I'm very tired, Ana. Please, excuse me."

"But…"

Her dad put a hand on her shoulder. "Kid, I think we should leave."

Ana tried to smile politely despite the disappointment. "I'm sorry, Peggy. It was nice meeting you."

They walked out of the room as Peggy watched them with a concerned look on her face.

"Well," he said once they were alone in the corridor. "That was a bummer…"

"A 'goddess,' though? What the hell was she talking about?"

"No idea."

She sighed. "Let's just go home, where everything makes sense."


	15. Chapter 15

Pepper had been wrong to think Tony had returned to his old self. No. He had actually become worse.

"Is this a joke?" she asked, storming into the workshop. "What are you thinking?"

"What?"

"What are you thinking?" she repeated, this time more loudly.

"Hey, I'm thinking I'm busy. And you're angry about something." He got up from his desk and started walking around the shop. "Do you have the sniffles? I don't want to get sick."

"Did you just donate our entire modern art collection to the…" She paused, trying to remember the name of the irrelevant organization.

Much to her surprise, Tony did. "Boy Scouts of America."

"Boy Scouts of America?"

"Yes. Of course. It's a worthwhile organization. I didn't physically check the crates, but basically, yes. And it's not 'our' collection, it's my collection. No offense."

Well, after everything she had done to put all those masterpieces together, she _was_ offended. "No, you know what? I think I'm actually entitled to say 'our' collection, considering the time I put in, over ten years curating that."

"It was a tax write-off. I needed that."

"You know, there's only about 8011 things that I really need to talk to you about…"

Tony wasn't even listening. He was just playing with his holograms and talking to his robots. She decided to cut to the chase to get his attention. "The Expo is a gigantic waste of time."

"I need you to wear a surgical mask until you're feeling better," he said as she coughed. "Is that okay?"

"That's rude."

"There's nothing more important for me than the Expo. It's my primary point of concern."

"The Expo is your ego gone crazy."

"Wow, look at that…" He picked up a hideous Iron Man poster. "That's modern art. That's going up."

"You've got to be kidding me…"

"I'm going to put this up right now."

"Stark is in complete disarray, do you understand that?"

"No! Our stocks have never been higher."

"Yes, from a managerial standpoint…"

"If it's messy, then let's double back."

"Let me give you an example… Oh, no, no, no! You're not taking down the Barnett Newman and hanging that up!"

"I'm not taking it down. Just replacing it with this. Let's see what I can get going here."

"Okay, fine," she gave in, and returned to the more important discussion. "My point is, we have already awarded contracts to the wind farm people."

"Don't say 'wind farm,' I'm already feeling gassy."

"And to the plastic plantation tree, which was your idea, by the way. Those people are on payroll, and you won't make a decision."

"Everything is my idea. I don't care about the liberal agenda anymore. Boring! I'm giving you the boring alert." He jumped down from the kitchen counter. "You do it."

"I do what?"

"Excellent idea. I just figured this out. You run the company."

"Yeah, I'm trying to run the company."

"Well, stop trying to do it and do it."

"You will not give me the information I need—"

"Pepper, you're not listening to me! I'm trying to make you the CEO!"

She froze. "Have you been drinking?"

"Uhm, chlorophyll."

God, he _was_ serious.

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked him in the eye. "I, hereby, irrevocably appoint you chairman and the CEO of Stark Industries, effective immediately. Yeah, done deal."

"What about Ana?" she asked instinctively.

Tony became even more serious. Concern clouded his brown eyes. "Well, that was the original plan, until Fury screwed her up. She needs to have the nerves of steel for this job, and let's be honest. She's not there yet."

Pepper understood. Ana was smart, she wouldn't shy away from responsibility or hard work, but those qualities weren't enough to be the CEO. She also needed to be ready to take whatever the world threw at her.

"I thought she was getting better."

"She was… She _is_. But if I make her the CEO now, all the progress we've made will be going down the drain. I mean, most of it is my fault, with the boarding school fiasco and all. Fury was just the last straw, but you get the point…"

Pepper chuckled. A few minutes ago, he was that insufferable narcissistic diva, now he was the harshest critic of himself. He did have a heart.

"I thought there would be a legal issue but I'm actually capable of appointing my successor. My successor being you."

She was rendered speechless. She knew Tony trusted him with his secrets, his life, even with his daughter, but she wasn't expecting this. She was… flattered, of course. Still, she wanted to think this through.

"I—I want to talk to Ana first."

He shrugged. "Okay. JARVIS, tell her to come down here."

"As you wish, sir."

U brought a bottle of champagne, and_ three_ glasses.

"Wait, are you going to let Ana drink?" Pepper cried.

"Geez, Pepper… It's just one glass of champagne, it won't kill her. Besides, she'd be at the legal drinking age if we were in Europe."

"Well, we're not in Europe, though, are we?"

He poured a glass and handed it to her, with an amused look on his face. "Don't tell me _you_ waited until you were 21?"

"Actually, I did," she admitted proudly.

Tony rolled her eyes. "You're killing me."

They turned their heads to the door when they heard someone dialing the passcode. Ana was here. "Hey, guys. What's going on?"

"I just made Pepper the new CEO."

"Oh." She didn't seem happy to hear that at all.

"It's not decided yet," Pepper said quickly. "We want to make sure you're okay with this first. Ana, I know you. You've always been eager to prove yourself. I don't want to make it look like I'm stealing your future."

"You're not stealing anything, Pep. You deserve this more than I ever could."

"Ana… Don't say that."

"Come here, kid. Take a seat." When Ana sat down next to Pepper he said, "You might want to keep your distance, though, she's sick."

Ana rolled her eyes, and kissed Pepper's cheek. "I'm happy for you, Pepper. I'm just feeling guilty."

"For what?"

"For not having the mental stability to be the CEO myself. We kind of forced your hand, didn't we?"

"Ana, it's not that bad. I've unofficially been running the company for years anyway."

Tony gave Ana a glass of champagne, too.

"Uhm, Dad…"

"Oh, please. Don't tell me you've never had booze before."

She bit her lips nervously. "Actually, I might have had a few beers at MIT. Don't worry, I didn't go to a frat party or anything. But I was the youngest student around, and I didn't want the others to laugh at me, so—"

Tony was pouring a glass for himself now. "Kid, relax. If drinking draft beer is the worst thing you did at college, I'm a very, very lucky man."

He raised his glass to propose a toast. "To Ms. Virginia 'Pepper' Potts, the CEO of Stark Industries. Long may she reign."

* * *

Pepper had tried to convince Tony to cancel the Monaco trip, but of course, failed. At least the Grand Prix was a good opportunity to do some PR. If people saw that everything was well between Ana Stark and Pepper Potts, hopefully they would realize the two weren't the modern Snow White and the Evil Queen.

She could hear Tony and Happy in the sitting area, discussing the cars and their drivers that would be racing this year. After finishing the last touches of her make-up, she went to check on Ana. Pepper hadn't seen her around for hours, and they were only twenty minutes from landing. Hopefully, she hadn't fallen asleep. It was nice to fly on a private jet with three bedrooms, but it was also easy to get too comfortable sometimes.

"Ana?" she asked, knocking on the door.

"Come in, Pep."

Pepper opened the door, and was taken aback when she saw Ana in that high-neck, sleeveless plum dress.

"Is it too much?" she asked uncomfortably.

"No, it's great. I just… I've never seen you so… vibrant before."

"Well, you look gorgeous yourself, as always. But you already know that."

Pepper chuckled. It warmed her heart to see that one of the most brilliant people in the world actually looked up to her and sought her approval. It made her see the appeal of motherhood. She didn't know if she would ever be able to settle down and have a family. Ana might be the closest thing she would ever have to a daughter. "We should put your hair into a messy bun. Here, let me help."

Without a word, Ana gave her some hairpins, and sat down a chair. She still seemed a bit uncomfortable, so Pepper said, "Seriously, you look amazing."

"I'm just trying to look like what Ana Stark is supposed to look like."

"Ana… You don't have to be someone you're not. No matter what you choose to do with your life, Tony will always look out for you."

"And who's going to look out for him? Or, you? I mean, check this out." She gave Pepper her phone.

She read the tweet on the screen: "_When you just want a sugar daddy, but he makes you his CEO instead #PepperPotts"_

Pepper was pretty sure she was going to see even more obnoxious comments if she browsed the hashtag. She turned off the screen, tossed the phone on the bed, and kept twirling Ana's hair. "Do you know what's the best part of being the CEO? I don't have time to read crap like this."

"I wish I could be like you. You're good at this, you know."

"Well, you must understand that you can't control people. The best you can do is to ignore them."

"I don't think I have the self-restraint."

Pepper came up with an idea. "Can't you ask JARVIS to filter this stuff out for you?"

She thought for a moment, then said, "Actually, I can. It's not such a bad idea."

Her hair was done. "Good. Come on, then. We're almost there."

* * *

Everybody was getting hungry, so as soon as they arrived at Hotel de Paris, they decided to have lunch first. They could watch the race while eating. As usual, people started cheering the moment Tony stepped out of the car, and he threw a peace sign. Then they went inside.

"You know, it's Europe… Whatever happens in the next 20 minutes, just go with it."

"Go with it? Go with that?" she asked, wondering what he had done to piss her off this time. She looked at Ana briefly, but she seemed as clueless as Pepper.

It didn't take her long to find out what it was.

"Mr. Stark?" Natalie Rushman asked. Right. Tony had been obsessed with her ever since he had laid eyes on her. Now, it looked like she would be around him all the time. Tony had completely ignored the list of excellent candidates Pepper had made, and hired Natalie Rushman just because she was an eye candy.

"Hey!"

"Hello. How was your flight?"

"It was excellent. Boy, it's nice to see you."

A waiter brought them drinks. Pepper took hers gratefully. She was going to need it.

"We have one photographer from ACM, if you don't mind. Okay?" Natalie asked, and snatched the drinks from their hands, much to Pepper's frustration.

"When did this happen?" she asked, forcing herself to smile for the camera.

Tony wrapped one arm around Ana, who had a _"Please leave me out of this fight" _look on her face. "What? You made me do it."

"I made you do what?"

"You quit. Smile. Look right there."

Pepper did, but only because she didn't want to fight him in front of everybody.

"Stop acting constipated. Don't flare your nostrils."

"You're so predictable."

Once the photographer left, Pepper took her drink back. Tony had already started flirting with his new PA. It infuriated her even more to see that Natalie didn't mind his inappropriate remarks. Pepper decided to ignore them and looked for a familiar face in the crowd. She saw Elon Musk, and went up to him.

"Mr. Musk? How are you?"

He got up from his chair to shake hands with her. "Hi, Pepper. Congratulations on the promotion."

"Thank you very much."

He shook Ana's hand next. "Ana. So nice to finally meet you in person."

"Likewise."

"Elon, how is it going?" Tony joined them. "Those Merlin engines are fantastic."

"Yeah, thank you. I've got an idea for an electric jet."

"You do? Then we'll make it work."

"You want a massage?" he asked Pepper as they made their way to the bar.

"Oh, God. No, I don't want a massage."

"I'll have Natalie make a—"

"I don't want Natalie to do—"

"By the way, I didn't mean to spring this on you. Green is not your best color."

"Oh, please…"

"Antony! Is that you?" Justin Hammer interrupted them. She knew Tony hated him, and Pepper couldn't say she liked him much either, but right now, she would gladly watch him pester Tony.

That was, until she realized Christine Everhart was here, too.

They had been here only for like, five minutes, and her face had already started to hurt from forcing herself to smile.

"My editor will kill me if I don't grab a quote for our Powerful Women issue."

_Well, shit._ "Oh."

"Can I?" Everhart asked sweetly, as if she weren't the same woman who had scorned Pepper last year for simply doing her job as Tony's assistant and picking up his guest's clothes from dry cleaning.

"Sure."

"She's actually doing a big spread on me for Vanity Fair," Hammer bragged. "I thought I'd throw her a bone, right?"

"Well, she did quite a spread on Tony last year," she said insinuatingly.

"And she wrote a story as well," Tony added.

"It was very impressive."

"That was good."

"Very well done."

Pepper might be upset with Tony right now, but she had to admit that they made a good team. Everhart's face was priceless. Pepper didn't feel sorry for her. She had brought this on herself.

"I'm going to go… wash."

"Don't leave me," Tony begged her, but she didn't care. She looked at Ana to see if she needed saving, though, but she seemed fine, so Pepper headed to the bathroom alone.

Okay, she hated to admit this, but maybe she was a tad jealous of Natalie. She was smart and capable. She spoke four languages, and she could kick ass, literally. She wouldn't have minded if Tony had had a one-night stand with her and be done with it, but now, Pepper felt like she had been _replaced_ by her. It didn't exactly felt like a promotion.


	16. Chapter 16

Did someone really have to remind Pepper Potts and Tony Stark why it was a bad idea to piss off a reporter? Ana had managed to get on Christine Everhart's good side at the charity gala in LA last year, now they had ruined it.

"So, _you_ are the famous Stark heiress, huh?" Justin Hammer asked, scrutinizing her, like he was assessing whether she deserved her reputation or not, and Ana wished she had just followed Pepper to the bathroom. But she hadn't wanted to leave her dad alone. Besides, watching him roast Hammer was fun. And if Hammer thought she would be an easier target, she had to prove him wrong.

"That's me."

"I heard you had an internship in Pasadena a few years ago? At an alternate energy company. What was it, Momentum Labs?"

Damn. How did Hammer even know about the internship? He might be an idiot, but he had done his homework. She couldn't let him, or Everhart think the Starks had a habit of going behind each other's backs, as he was trying to insinuate.

"Oh, that was an invaluable experience," she said sweetly. "I'm glad Dad encouraged me to explore new fields. And I was only 15 back then. I couldn't have done it without his formal approval."

His wolfish grin narrowed, but didn't completely fade. "Well, now that your dad's secretary is the CEO, you're always welcome at Hammer Industries if you need a job."

"As an engineer, or a test pilot? I imagine you're in desperate need for both, considering that footage we all saw at the hearing."

He chuckled, but Ana could see that she had pissed him off. "You might soon change your mind if Tony gives me a slot at the Expo."

Her dad, on the other hand, seemed quite proud of her. "Well, invent something that actually works, and I'll make sure you get a slot."

"Mr. Stark, your corner table is ready," Natalie Rushman said. Finally. Ana lost no time leaving Hammer's table.

"Hammer needs a slot, Christine!" her dad said as they made their way to the corner table.

"Dad, I'm sorry," she whispered once they settled at their own table. "I never thought that internship could be used against you."

"Don't worry about that, you did well. I'm especially impressed by how you conveniently twisted the part you and Pepper tricked me into signing the parental consent form."

"We didn't _trick_ you! I just gave the form to Pepper and told her I needed your signature for my internship."

"Yeah, but you knew I'd sign anything Pepper gave me."

"Dad, you would've signed it anyway."

"I would have. But I told you that internship was unnecessary."

"You know what, you were actually right. The Bauers were crazy. I mean, they were talking about a magic book that showed you whatever you wanted to know, can you believe it?"

"That's what happens when you don't listen to me… I'll be back in a minute."

She knew where he was going, so she stopped him before he got on his feet, snatched the medical scanner from his pocket, and put it in her purse. Checking the palladium levels every other hour wasn't going to help. "Don't worry about that now," she said softly. "Let's just enjoy lunch."

He didn't say anything, but she knew they had just made a silent agreement that they were going to make the most of every moment they had left. Ana didn't want to give up. She just wanted to keep thinking and thinking for a solution, until her brain exploded, but she also knew that attitude was making things worse for him.

"I like the dress," he commented casually. "Pepper's idea?"

"No. There were only so many different black dresses I could buy for such occasions, so I decided to try something new."

Speaking of Pepper, she was back. She gave him a sharp look, and picked up the menu. Rushman silently walked away from the table, making herself invisible to Pepper's eye. Ana decided to address the elephant in the room. The silent treatment was the last thing he needed right now.

"Pepper, what's going on with you? Come on, Rushman isn't that bad."

She put the menu down and looked up. "Really? You, too, Ana?"

"And then you took your anger out on Everhart… Who knows what she's going to write about you now."

"Everhart wasn't a big fan of me in the first place. If she wants to interview you, too, just say no, okay? I don't want her to use you to get back at me."

"Yes, ma'am," Ana scoffed. Her dad wasn't the only one who was hiding behind a mask. Pepper was acting like she was cool with being the new CEO, but the backlash was taking a toll on her, and it showed. _It's my fault_, she thought. _They would've trusted me with the job if I hadn't been acting like an edgy teenager._

"Oh my God, Tony, look!" Pepper gasped, eyes now fixated on the TV.

The race had started, but one of the mechanics was walking into the race track. He tore his shirt open, revealing some kind of harness with an Arc Reactor strapped to his chest. Ana hoped it was just a fake, but a fake Arc Reactor couldn't power those electrified whips that had burned away what had remained of the upper part of his jumpsuit. With a single stroke, he destroyed the first race car he saw. This was a challenge. Whoever he was, he was challenging Iron Man to a duel.

"Dad? Who's he?"

"I'm about to find out. Stay here," he said, and rushed off, probably to find Happy. Mark V was with him.

Soon, he was on the screen, too. Of course he was. When had Tony Stark ever declined a challenge?

Rushman put a hand on her shoulder. Normally, she didn't like it when acquaintances invaded her personal space, but right now, she might even be grateful for it, because Pepper seemed too appalled herself to comfort anybody else. "Would you like to leave?" Rushman whispered softly.

"No." She couldn't run away and hide like a coward while people were watching. She wanted to look away, wait until someone said it was over and her dad was safe, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the TV either. As for everyone else in the restaurant, they were acting terrified by the attack, but they were obviously eager to see some Iron Man action. _"This is not a game!"_ Ana wanted to scream at them. It wasn't something that was being done for their entertainment. Every time he donned a suit, he took a risk. The Arc Reactor consumed the palladium faster, if nothing else.

She used to love the Monaco trips when she was a kid. Back then, it was just Ana and her dad, and all these rich snobs were nothing but a blur in the background. They would talk about the cars, and cheer for theirs. Sometimes they would win, other times not. But they would always return home happy. Now, they couldn't even enjoy a family tradition in peace.

She was tired. Tired of constantly fearing for the only family she had. So tired that perhaps her body didn't even have the energy to produce adrenaline anymore. By the time the fight was over and the police took the maniac away, she was just feeling numb.

* * *

Her dad didn't know who the attacker was. No one did. So, once the dust settled, he decided to go to the jailhouse and have a word with him. Ana wanted to go, too, but he didn't allow it, saying he didn't want her anywhere near that psychopath. Happy was with him, Pepper was answering the endless calls from the government and the press, and goodness knew where Rushman was. So, Ana was on alone in her suite, and she found herself contacting JARVIS via phone, for she had no one else to talk to.

"Hello, Miss Stark."

"Hi, JARVIS."

"I'm sorry about the attack. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"With all due respect, miss, you don't sound 'fine.'"

"Well, Dad's dying, Pepper's acting weird, and our vacation just got ruined, so…"

"What can I do?"

"Uhm, run facial recognition, for starters."

"I already have."

Ana smiled. "And?"

"The attacker's name is Ivan Vanko. His father, Anton Vanko, was a Soviet physicist who defected to the United States in 1963. However, he was accused of espionage and was deported in 1967. His son, Ivan, who is also a physicist was convicted selling Soviet-era weapons-grade plutonium to Pakistan, and served 15 years in Kopeisk prison. No further records exist."

"Any idea how he got the Arc Reactor design?"

"Ivan Vanko worked at Stark Industries when he was in the United States."

"Yeah, that explains a lot…"

"Does the information make you feel better?" he asked curiously.

"No, JARVIS, I still feel like shit! I didn't call you just for the query. I called you because I got no one else to call. That's how pathetic I am!"

"But you do have me… You'll always have me."

"Thanks, J, but… You're not real. You're just a program."

"What would make me real for you?"

"I don't know… Can you feel grief, for example?"

"Not the way you do."

"See? But that's okay. At least I know you're not capable of judging me. That's why I can talk so freely."

"Even if I could judge people, I wouldn't judge _you_. I was designed to help you and Mr. Stark… with anything."

"I know, JARVIS. You were programmed to be useful. But you can still be useful, I guess. You're good at analyzing behavioral patterns. What do you think Dad would do, if I were the one who was dying?"

"He would comfort you until your last breath."

"And if I refused to be comforted?"

"Like you, Mr. Stark tends to avoid intense emotions, though his methods differ from yours greatly."

"Yeah, that was stupid of me to ask. Those 'methods' wouldn't work on me. I hate parties, I hate sex even more, and…" She paused when she realized she was 18, and in Europe.

"Miss?"

"I can get drunk. Legally! Yeah, I'm going to go get drunk."

"Miss Stark, I don't think this is a good idea."

She had never got drunk before. Not a big fan of the idea of losing control. But she was in need of a break so badly that she was up for anything at this point. Besides, this would be a one-time thing. An experiment to see how effective booze was. It wasn't like she was going to become an alcoholic or anything.

"Why not? You wanted to help, and you just did. I'm so stressed out that I can't think clearly anymore. Now, I'm going to unwind, but my brain will subconsciously keep working on the problem in the meantime. Thanks for the idea, J. Bye!" She ended the call, grabbed her purse, and went down to the bar.

"Can I see your ID, _mademoiselle_?" the bartender asked when Ana approached the counter.

She proudly showed the date of birth on her passport. Pleased, he nodded. "What can I get you?"

"Scotch," she said, without even thinking about it. But when she took the first sip, she realized she had made a terrible mistake. This wasn't anything like beer, or champagne. It burned her throat like liquid fire. But she forced herself to pretend like she was enjoying it. She even asked for a refill.

She was on her third glass when a guy approached, his reason pretty obvious._ I shouldn't have worn this stupid dress_, she thought. This hadn't happened in a long time, partially because she avoided going to places where she might get hit on, and partially because most guys didn't want the hassle of flirting with Iron Man's daughter. All in all, she had almost forgotten what an uncomfortable feeling it was, until now.

He was young, probably only one or two years older than Ana. Auburn hair, green eyes, strong jawline, bulging muscles… Ana knew she was supposed to find him attractive. She was supposed to find someone, anyone, attractive eventually, but nope, that was just not happening. She hadn't had sex since her graduation, and she certainly didn't miss it. You couldn't miss something you never needed. The question was, when would people start to realize something wasn't right with her?

"Can I get you a drink?"

"No, thank you." _Please just go away, please just go away, please just go away…_

"Okay. Can I at least enjoy your company?"

Ana felt that overwhelming rage rise inside her once again. Her father had just been attacked by a madman while already dying a slow and painful death, and here was this jerk, fantasizing about getting into her pants.

She whipped her head around, and looked him in the eye. "Do you want to have sex with me?"

He laughed. "What?"

"Do you want to have sex with me?" she repeated. "Yes or no?"

"Yes."

"Well, I don't want to have sex with you, so don't waste your time."

Ana had thought he would give up after this, but it only angered him. He grabbed her upper arm. "Come on, don't be a tease…"

"Let go of me!" She tried to shake him off, but his grip only tightened. It was probably going to leave a bruise. The bartender was at the other end of the counter now, busy preparing drinks for a bunch of customers, so he didn't notice, neither did anyone else, as far as she could see. The jerk was being subtle. But if Ana called for security, they would probably come.

"Make me," he mocked her.

_Screw the security._ Something about the challenge reminded her of the boarding school days, and the guys she had forced herself to date at college. She was getting tired of pretending to be someone she was not. She wanted to change. She wanted to handle this herself, without help from anyone. She grabbed the nearest bottle with her free hand, and hit him.

The attack had caught him by surprise, and there was even some blood, dripping from his temple, but he didn't run away crying like Ana had expected. Instead, he let go of her wrist, but only to grab her by the hair this time, because she had frozen in fear. Not the fear of what he might do to her, but the fear of what _she_ was capable of. Spilling blood didn't feel as bad as it should. No, it didn't feel bad at all. And that was a terrifying thought. But it didn't last long.

"You crazy bitch!"

He slammed her head against the bar counter. She collapsed on the floor. The throbbing pain in her face had left her incapacitated. She could feel blood oozing from her nostrils. She could taste it in her mouth. He yanked her head back.

He was preparing to punch her when Natalie Rushman came out of nowhere. She fended him off with a kick, and helped Ana on her feet as the security guards seized that creep and took him away.

"Thanks," Ana muttered, drowning in remorse. She was too scared to look around, knowing every eye in the room was on her now.

"We should take you to the hospital."

"No, no hospital! Please."

Rushman gave her a sympathetic look. "Are you sure?"

"I just want to go to my room."

"Okay."

Ana leaned on her for support, and kept her head down while Rushman led her back to her room as swiftly as possible. The more people saw Ana Stark's bloody, messed up face, the quicker the gossip would spread.

The rest was a nightmare. Her room was soon filled with people. Pepper was yelling at her, Rushman was patching her up and arguing with the hotel security at the same time. Her dad hadn't returned yet, but it would only get worse when he did.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she snapped at some point. To her surprise, they actually left.

Ana locked the door, changed into a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, undid her hair, and curled up in the bed, avoiding all the mirrors and windows in the room, too scared to see her reflection. Rushman had assured her that it wasn't too bad, that at least her nose wasn't broken. Well, her nose might not be broken, but something in her definitely was.

* * *

It was just a soft, single knock on the door. "Ana, it's me."

Her dad's voice was calm. He hadn't even told her to open the door. He knew he didn't need to. She kept her head down as she let him in, trying to hide her face behind a curtain of long, dark hair, still not knowing what she looked like.

"Eyes up, Samara."

Him making jokes was a good sign. Maybe he wouldn't overreact. Ana raised her head, and moved her hair away from her face, so that he could see what she had brought upon herself.

He tilted her chin up, and examined her face for a moment. The bruise on her left arm didn't escape his notice either. He was being so gentle that it made Ana want to cry. He was always so gentle with her.

"Does it hurt too much?"

She decided to make an attempt at humor. "You should see the other guy."

"So I've been told… Seriously, though, any dizziness? Nausea?"

"It's fine. I'll just sleep it off."

"Honey, if you have a head injury, sleeping it off is the last thing you should do, and you know that."

"Dad, please don't make me go to the hospital," she begged.

"Okay, here's the deal: Either we go to the hospital now and make sure you're okay, or I won't let you sleep for the next 6 hours. Which one is it going to be?"

"Fine. Hospital it is."

"Good girl. Grab your passport, and let's go."

"What about Pepper and Happy?"

"We'll be back before they know it. The hospital is, like, five minutes away from here. Come on."

They left. She was surprised to see that he had rented an Audi TT, instead of taking the Royce, which was a bit suspicious. But she decided to play dumb.

While he was driving, Ana finally mustered up her courage and looked at herself in the side mirror. Her nose and forehead were bruised and swollen, her lower lip was split open, but that was all. It would heal.

"You're beautiful," he said, as if he could read her thoughts.

"I look like a potato."

"A beautiful potato, then."

She chuckled, and the simple act sent a sharp wave of pain from her mouth to the rest of her body. "Don't make me laugh. It hurts."

"Sorry."

"Dad?"

"Mm?"

"Are you mad?"

"No. I get it, kid. I really do. You were already upset, about a lot of things, and you finally lost it. God, sometimes I forget that not everyone sees an adorable little girl when they look at you. I guess that's how karma gets me."

"Bullshit. You're a playboy, not a creepy pervert who can't handle rejection… Speaking of, where's he now?"

"His brothers bribed the hotel security when they found out who you were. They fled Monaco before I returned. At least that's what Natalie told me."

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't let the attacker get away, but right now, he probably didn't want to waste his time with him, which was a relief. Ana decided to talk about something else. "What about _your _guy? Did he tell you anything?"

"He gave me his dad's name: Anton Vanko. Said the Arc Reactor was his design, but I've never heard of him before. You?"

"As a matter of fact, I have. He was a scientist at Stark Industries, got deported when he turned out to be a Soviet spy. Ivan isn't much different either. He served 15 years for selling plutonium to Pakistan."

"How did you learn that?"

"I got my sources."

He cocked an eyebrow questioningly.

"Relax, Dad. I called JARVIS."

"Ana?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise me that you'll never be like Ivan."

"What?"

"I took a good look at his tech. It was decent. Sure, he's a criminal, but he could've made himself rich, become anyone he wanted. Instead, he got himself back into prison, and for what? To get revenge for his old man, on someone who's already dying? Do whatever you want to digest your grief, kid, just don't do anything that might ruin your life because of me. That's all I ask."

"Hey, you're not dying! We'll figure something out." She had to believe that they would. But if they couldn't… Well, maybe Ana should start preparing herself for the worst, like she had done last year.

"Oh, here we are," he said evasively, pointing at the hospital sign.


	17. Chapter 17

After an MRI and then, a CT scan just to be sure, the doctors confirmed that Ana was fine, gave her some pills for the headache and the nausea. She thought they were returning to the hotel, but Tony had other plans.

"Dad, where are we going?" Of course, she must have noticed he was driving further away from the hotel, not back to it.

"We're on a vacation. Let's just drive around a bit."

"But Pepper—"

"I called her while you were in the MRI room. No worries." That was a lie.

"Dad, I know you want us to have fun together, and I want it, too, but I'm just so tired right now. All that medication…"

"Come on, kid! Are you looking forward to going back there after everything that happened? I know I'm not."

"Neither am I," she admitted.

Tony could keep the conversation going forever if he wanted, but his plan required the opposite. Soon, Ana drifted off, as expected. She seemed more peaceful in her sleep. Maybe she was coming to terms with the fact that there was nothing that could be done to save him.

* * *

It was nearly 4 AM. Tony was still driving, trying to enjoy the peaceful moment as best as he could. This would be their last father-daughter road trip. He was driving a really nice car, Italy had always been one of his favorite destinations, and his baby girl was asleep in the seat beside him. Well, she was probably going to freak out when she woke up, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

He had been toying with the idea since the hearing, but only after that conversation with Ivan, he had made up his mind. The idiot had actually done Tony a favor.

When he saw the next gas station, he pulled over for gas and supplies. It was also a good time to go to the bathroom and change the current palladium core with a new one. By the time he returned to the car, Ana was up, and utterly confused.

"Where are we?"

"Uhm, somewhere between Brescia and Verona, I think," he replied nonchalantly as he got the car back on the highway. He half expected her to start yelling, but she only sank back into her seat and sighed in surrender.

"You were expecting this…"

"I was hoping to be wrong."

"I told you, I want to spend our remaining time in peace. I'm not going to let the world consume us, kid, and this is the only way."

"You never called Pepper, did you?"

"No," he admitted.

"Dad, everyone must be worried sick by now."

"They'll manage."

"You know, you should've rented a cheaper car if you want to keep a low profile."

"This one's just fine." _The last car I drive won't be a piece of junk._

"Where are we going?"

"Venice. Cipriani. Remember that vacation?"

"Of course," she said with a sad smile.

"But if you got any better ideas…"

"No, Venice sounds good."

"Prosciutto sandwich?" he offered, showing her one of the sandwiches he had bought back at the gas station.

Without a word, she grabbed the sandwich, unwrapped it and started to eat.

"You know, Pepper would've come with us if you'd told her the truth."

"I asked her if she wanted to extend our trip, she said no. That's exactly why I didn't tell her. Didn't want to guilt-trip her into doing something she wouldn't do under normal circumstances."

"I see," she said, choking on the words.

Now Tony was having second thoughts. He loved Ana with every inch of his being, he loved her more than any words could describe. He wanted her to be the last thing he saw before he died. And it was such a selfish, cruel whim. He was basically asking his daughter to let him die on her. What was she going to do after he was gone? When she was all alone with his dead body in a retreat suite? How was she going to call Pepper, Rhodey and Happy, and explain the situation? Was she going to take all the blame for a choice her father had made?

"You know what, I've changed my mind. Let's go back."

"Dad, no! I want this, too."

His chest tightened, both in pride and remorse. She was braver than he could ever be. He was willing to do anything to make this easier for her, but there was nothing. He couldn't even make a joke without causing her pain right now, because an asshole had smashed her face into a bar counter and it hurt when she laughed. He couldn't even go after the attacker and make him pay for what he had done, because there was no time for that.

* * *

Venice was as beautiful as he remembered, and their suite gave them all the privacy they needed to say goodbye to each other while enjoying the scenery. They spent the first six days talking about trivial things, pretending like this was just an ordinary vacation.

"How much time do we have?" Ana asked on their sixth evening, the evening of his birthday, when she caught him checking the palladium levels on the terrace.

He decided to be honest. "72 hours."

She came to join him on the couch. "It's not enough."

He brushed the hair away from her face, so that he could see her better. He was glad that most of her injuries had healed by now. This was how he wanted to remember her: Unharmed. Healthy. And happy, though asking her to be happy right now was unfair, so he didn't. "No, it's not… God, most people wouldn't want to know when they were to die, but I would have. Yeah, I definitely would have…"

"Why?"

"Because if I'd known, I would've been more careful. I would've done things differently. I would've never sent you to New York. We lost five years because of me. Now we don't even have five days." Yeah, the boarding school was the right place to start talking about the important stuff, stuff that really mattered. He could no longer delay that conversation.

"Dad, it doesn't matter anymore. I don't know why you decided to send me away, but I'm sure you had a good reason."

"You've never asked why I sent you to boarding school. Are you _that_ scared to hear the answer?" He had waited for her to ask him, but the question had never come up.

"I don't doubt you anymore. Not after Afghanistan."

"And before Afghanistan?"

"I think even then, I knew you just wanted what was best for me. Maybe you just wanted me to socialize more, or grow a tough skin… But yeah, a part of me _was _scared. I didn't know what I'd do if you told me you were simply tired of being my dad. It was like Schrodinger's cat. I mean, as long as you don't open the box, there's hope for the cat, right?"

Tony laughed. "What you're forgetting is that it was an imaginary experiment Schrodinger designed to prove how absurd the Copenhagen Interpretation was."

"I guess my fears were equally absurd…"

He became serious again. "Ana, I sent you away because I was a coward. You weren't anything like me. You were kind, thoughtful, and way mature beyond your years, and I was ruining you. You loved me so much that you'd started to find a way to justify _everything_ I did. Even things that shouldn't be justified. I thought the distance might help you see my flaws. I tried to fix you, while I was the one who needed fixing. And it didn't even work, did it? You still love me unconditionally…"

"Is it a bad thing?"

"No, of course not! I just—" The moment was interrupted when they heard someone behind them clear his throat. When they turned around, they saw Nick Fury standing at the door, with Natalie Rushman, or whatever her real name was… She was wearing a black catsuit with a SHIELD logo on the shoulders, and some kind of utility belt. They must have broken into the suite.

God, he should have known. "Natalie Rushman" was too good to be a real person.

"Huh… You're fired," he told her.

"That's not up to you."

"Tony, I want you to meet Agent Natasha Romanoff."

"Great! More liars," Ana sneered bitterly. She was back to that erratic, hateful mood in an instant.

"I was simply doing my job," Romanoff said softly.

"Yeah, as a spy!"

"I'm a SHIELD shadow. Once we knew your father was ill, I was tasked to him by Director Fury."

"What do you want from me this time?" Tony asked Fury impatiently.

"What do we want from you? Do you even know what's been going on since you disappeared?" Fury scolded him.

"No, and I'd very much like to keep it that way."

"The whole world is in panic. They want to know where Iron Man is, or if he'll ever return. Your girl, as the CEO, is dealing with the mess you left behind. Your best friend had to take one of your suits."

"What?" The last part caught him by surprise. Yes, he was hoping Rhodey to become the next Iron Man after his death. Rhodey was going to wear the suits, and Ana would keep improving them, that was the plan. He just hadn't thought Rhodey would take one while Tony was still alive.

"He did you a favor. The government wanted to confiscate_ everything _in your mansion."

"Oh, boy… You're not going to let me die in peace, are you?"

"If you hear us out, you're not going to have to die at all… Hit him."

Romanoff walked up to them and jabbed an injector into his neck.

"Hey!" Ana cried. "Don't touch him!"

Romanoff ignored her and examined the black lines on his neck. Whatever she saw, it seemed to have satisfied her.

"What did you just do to me?"

"What did we just do _for _you," Fury corrected him. "That's lithium dioxide. It's going to take the edge off."

Ana examined his neck. "The black lines are disappearing."

He unbuttoned his shirt to take a look. The lines on his chest hadn't completely faded, but indeed, they were waning, and he was already feeling better. "Huh…"

"This, on the other hand, is something I found in Ms. Stark's room," Romanoff added sharply, holding out a small medical vial. The _"Oh, shit," _look on Ana's face told him that the SHIELD spy was telling the truth for once.

He snatched it from her hand and read the label. Potassium chloride. 5 grams. Enough to shut down all bodily functions in minutes. "T—this is a lethal dose… Ana, where did you get this?"

"I took it from the hospital," Ana replied in a small voice, avoiding eye contact.

"You mean, you _stole_ it… Why?"

"I thought, if it got too painful for you… If you wanted to quick things up a bit—"

"Stop. Just stop. I didn't raise you to be a liar, that's why you suck at it!"

This wasn't for Tony. It actually explained her sudden acceptance, why she hadn't made any fuss when they hadn't returned to the hotel. For the first time in 18 years, he was truly upset with Ana.

"Now that you gave me the cure, can we have a moment?" he asked the spies. "I'm dealing with a suicidal teenager here."

"It's not a cure, it just abates the symptoms," Romanoff said, and the duo stayed put.

"Doesn't look like it's going to be an easy fix."

"Trust me, I know. We're good at this stuff. Ana has been looking for a suitable replacement for palladium. She's tried every combination, every permutation of every known element. She's been doing nothing else since I returned from Afghanistan."

"Well, I'm here to tell you she hasn't tried them all."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's time you learned the truth about your father's true legacy."

"If you're here to make another deal, you can forget it."

"I'm not here for a deal."

"Why, then?"

"I heard you've been looking for someone. She's waiting for us at the rendezvous point. She'll tell you everything you want to know. And she thinks she can help you."

"The agent who found Ana?"

Fury nodded.

"And what does she want in return?"

"Nothing. She was going to come to you anyway. She is… pretty upset with me about being compromised. Don't worry, though, she likes you two."

"Give us a minute. Seriously!"

Fury gestured Romanoff to follow him back inside the suite. Tony knew they could still hear them, but it was better than having to have this conversation under their watchful gazes.

When Tony turned to Ana again, she still looked mortified. "I hate them!" she cried. "I hate them! All they do is to ruin my life! I should've killed Fury when I had the chance!"

He tilted her chin up to make her look at his face, reminding himself to be gentle. Once their eyes met, she didn't look away again. "This time, it's not about Fury. It's about you, Ana. I begged you not to do anything stupid after I died, and that's exactly what you were going to do! Why? Why did you want to do it? Is this how much you hate your life?"

"I can ask you the same question, Dad. Why is it okay for you to put yourself in harm's way all the time, but not for me? I thought there were no double standards between us. At least I was thoughtful enough to hide my own self-destructive plans from you!"

"Oh, so you even expect a thank you! Wow…"

"Well, yeah. I actually do."

"I'm your father, Ana. You are supposed to bury me, not the other way around. Then you are supposed to move on and live a long, happy life!"

"Live for what, exactly? To work, and work, and work, until people like Fury tear me apart, and be tossed aside like a broken doll once I have nothing left to give? You said it yourself, we're hiding here because that's the only way to stop the world from consuming us! Looks like even that's not enough. They find us no matter where we go."

He didn't know what to say. You knew your life was such a mess when even your enemies didn't bother to kill you anymore. And yeah, there was no escape from government agents.

"Whatever, let's not waste our time with this," she continued. "Fury says the agent has a solution. We should hear what she has to say."

"Oh, so you trust Fury now…"

"Please don't hate me," she pleaded fearfully, and at that moment, Tony's anger just vanished. He didn't think he could remain angry with her for more than five minutes, no matter what she did. Besides, she was just a kid who had been through too much. Compared to hers, Tony's teenage years had been a breeze.

He pulled her into a tight hug to let her know that it was okay. That nothing could ever come between them. "I can never hate you, kid. Just, don't scare me like that again."

* * *

Fury and Romanoff took them to the outskirts of Venice. They stopped before an empty grassy field. He and Romanoff got out of the car first, Tony and Ana followed them.

"Is this some kind of trap?" the latter questioned. "Are you going to kidnap us or something?"

The two spies looked at each other and smiled. Tony wondered what was so amusing about his daughter's fear. He rested a hand on her shoulder to give her a sense of reassurance. He had brought Mark V with him. He hadn't been able to repair it after the fight in Monaco, but he could still put it on and get himself and Ana away from here if necessary. But before he could say anything, there was a flash of green light, and a jet, about the same size of an average private plane, appeared on the field. It didn't look like any aircraft he had seen before. It could be the most sophisticated piece of tech that had ever existed in the world—and it wasn't just the cloaking system, the engines, or the aerodynamics—which made him feel like a caveman looking at a Concorde, and yet, there was something ancient about it at the same time. _Literally_ ancient, like it was inspired by a Viking boat or something.

Its door opened and gilded stairs cascaded onto the ground. A blonde, petite woman descended the steps gracefully. Tony recognized her, and no matter how unconvincing this might sound, it had nothing to do with her otherworldly beauty, which actually freaked him out a little.

"I know you," he started. "You were at my parents' funeral, standing next to Peggy Carter. You haven't aged a day…"

She stopped three or four feet away from him, and her blue eyes fixated on his face. "True," she said simply.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Lady Sigyn Tyrsdottir of Asgard. It's nice to finally meet you in person, Tony."


	18. Chapter 18

"Wait, wait, wait… Lady Who of What now?" Tony asked.

"You can call me Sigyn," she said, then turned to Fury. "I'll take it from here, Director. You've caused enough trouble."

"They're all yours. But once you're done with the Starks, I'd like you to give me some insight on the New Mexico situation."

"I told you, it's nothing you have to worry about."

"I'll be the judge of that."

"Goodbye, Fury."

Fury and Romanoff got back into their SUV and sped away into the night. Ana was looking at Tony for a reaction, but he was rendered speechless. "I've got nothing," he admitted.

"I understand your confusion," Sigyn started. "But we're running out of time, so I'm going to make this very simple for you: I'm an alien. I come from a planet called Asgard, home to the beings your kind knows as Norse gods. And yeah, that vessel behind me is, technically, a spaceship. So… shall we?"

"Where are we going?"

"To Malibu. Come on."

He looked at Ana, who seemed as bemused as he was. She shrugged, so they followed Sigyn inside the ship.

"You and Fury aren't exactly friends, are you?" Tony asked.

"I respect Fury's wit and valor, but I was wrong to trust him. He broke two of the promises he made to me… Take a seat. Make yourselves comfortable. My ship is much faster than any Midgardian aircraft, but we still have a seven-hour flight ahead of us."

There was a comfortable looking L-shaped sitting area facing the control panels. He sat down, one arm protectively wrapped around Ana, and his other hand resting on the Mark V case.

Sigyn started pushing what looked like the yoke forward gradually, and Tony felt the ship take off. It was rising fast, but smoothly. He wasn't sure if it was better, or worse for an acrophobic to fly on a spaceship, but Ana seemed relaxed enough. Sigyn hit a few buttons, then came to join them in the sitting area. The engineer in him was dying to go to the control panels and try to figure out how this thing worked. Ana gave him a small smile, and he knew they both shared the same urge. But there were other questions that needed to be answered first.

"First of all, Fury should've never tried to recruit you for the Avengers Initiative. And Ana should've never found out about her mother. Especially not under those circumstances. I'm deeply sorry about what happened."

"Who are you, exactly? Why do you care?"

Sigyn studied them for a moment, with a troubled expression on her face, as if she was trying to figure out what to tell them. Finally, she said, "I'd like to start from the very beginning, if you don't mind."

"Well, as long as you don't start from the Big Bang, it's fine."

"Centuries ago, our King, Odin Allfather, decided to hide a very dangerous relic here, on Earth. He thought mortals wouldn't dare you use it, but he was wrong. During World War II, someone found that relic: The Red Skull."

"If this is about Captain America, just kill me already," Tony groaned. Seriously, if someone started telling him about Captain American stories again after all these years, he was going to puke.

"I see you're still bitter about Howard's fascination with Captain Rogers…"

The statement felt like a punch in the gut. "I'd rather call it an obsession," he muttered angrily.

To his surprise, a grave look of understanding crossed her face. "And you wouldn't be wrong."

"My dad never told me anything about an alien artifact being involved in the war, though."

"Yes, he deliberately kept that part from you. But the Red Skull's powers didn't only come from the super-soldier serum. He'd also weaponized the relic. Anyway, after the Red Skull was defeated, Odin decided that humans couldn't be trusted with the Tesseract. So, he decided to send an Asgardian here to keep it safe. I volunteered. I came to this realm in 1950. By then, Howard had found the Tesseract in the ocean, while looking for Captain Rogers."

Funny, no matter how annoying it was, Tony had always thought Steve Rogers was the one thing his always cold, dispassionate dad was sincere about. Now it turned out he wasn't completely honest about even _that_. It made it even harder for Tony to imagine him as a lovable individual, as someone's friend, which made the initial question about the "agent" even more important. Howard Stark didn't have friends. He had either allies, subordinates, or enemies.

"And after you came here, what happened? Why do you owe my dad a debt of gratitude? What did he do for you?"

"Well, for starters, he didn't lock me up in a lab and dissect me to study the Asgardian physiology. Most people in SHIELD would have."

"Was he somehow involved with SHIELD?"

"He was a founding member of SHIELD, along with Peggy Carter and Colonel Phillips."

It all made sense now. Tony and Ana exchanged a long look, until Sigyn sighed. "SHIELD was his idea to begin with."

"Why did he never tell me?" Tony couldn't imagine his dad trying _not _to make him a part of SHIELD, if he was the one who had started it.

"Because he wanted you to have a safe, normal life. As normal as it could be for a genius like yourself."

"I find that hard to believe." Was she really going to make him say the truth out loud in front of Ana? If Sigyn and his dad had been such good friends, she would know how much he had despised his son, wouldn't she?

"Howard wasn't always that cold, distant, overbearing workaholic you remember."

Tony gulped thickly. This was getting more disturbing by second. The blondie was reading him like a book. Ana gave him a questioning glance. By now, she must have realized his relationship with his dad was much more complicated than he had let her know. He didn't want her to imagine him as the helpless little boy he had been once, terrified of his dad's outbursts. It was embarrassing. He was supposed to be her hero, a beacon of strength and confidence. Not an emotional mess with daddy issues.

"I'm not saying he wasn't a pain in the ass," Sigyn went on. "He was difficult, even in his youth. But when I first started working for SHIELD, things were simpler. We were… naive. We had a vision. A dream. We were going to change this world, make it a part of a bigger universe."

"Why do _you_ care, though? This is not your world. You're just a tourist passing by."

"I'm half-mortal. My father was an Asgardian. I was born and raised in Asgard. But my mother was a mortal. In the eyes of most Asgardians, I was a disgrace. I came here, hoping to be a goddess among mortals. I came here looking for superiority, yet I found something much more precious: Equality. Acceptance. A place among you. I'd been sent here to protect a relic that belonged to the Allfather. I didn't have to become the first Consultant of SHIELD. I didn't have to be a stealth operative during the Cold War years. But Howard and Peggy gave me a chance to fight for a cause I believed in. Such is my debt of gratitude."

"What went wrong?" Her gloomy attitude gave him the impression that something had gone terribly wrong.

"A lot. The brevity of human life is on the top of the list. Howard had so many ideas, but when he realized how little time he had, he grew desperate. I wanted to help him, but I was a living, walking reminder of his own mortality. And then, there were all those enemies he had made along the way…"

"Was Anton Vanko one of them?"

"Yes. Anton Vanko was a scientist at Stark Industries, and a good friend of your father's. Howard's speeches on world peace weren't just publicity. He really wanted to end wars. It was his ultimate goal. He knew that humanity had to resolve their inner conflicts first before finding a place among the intergalactic community. Most of your wars are fought over resources, so the real key to world peace was to create a source of unlimited energy."

"Hence the Arc Reactor," Tony realized.

"Exactly. He thought Anton Vanko shared his vision, so they worked on the Arc Reactor together, at least for a time. They called it the Unity Project. Howard was so hopeful that he thought you and Anton's son, Ivan, would work together one day and continue their legacy. He was planning to bring Anton into the inner circle when his treachery was discovered. He was a Russian spy, and he only wanted to use the Arc Reactor to get rich. The Vankos were deported immediately, but the Russian intelligence saw this as a failure and sent the Vankos to an exile in Siberia."

"Who else was in this inner circle?"

"Well, Peggy, of course. Your mother joined when she and Howard got engaged. He'd never keep any secrets from Maria. And the Jarvises."

"The Jarvises knew you, too?"

Sigyn looked at him with a sad smile. "When I first knocked on Howard's door, who do you think answered it?"

"And that mind-wiping thing? How did you do it?"

"With magic."

"Magic?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes. I'm also a sorceress."

Mentally exhausted, Tony buried his face in his hands, trying to sort his thoughts. His brain was overloaded with information; he needed time to process everything he had just heard. His dad's BFF was an alien, and here she was, giving satisfying answers to all the questions Tony hadn't had the chance to ask him. To be honest, it felt too good to be true. Was Fury playing another game with them?

He felt a hand running through his hair. "Dad? Are you okay?"

He glanced towards Ana, and tried to smile. Once this was over—and if he survived—they were going to have a lengthy conversation about this, and he was looking forward to it. He was looking forward to hearing what she thought. Funny, when she was a little girl, he used to fear that she would not love him, that their bond would weaken once she grew up. He could now see he had feared for nothing. Their relationship hadn't weakened. It had _evolved_. Ana would always be a little girl in his eyes, it would always be his duty to protect her, but intellectually, he saw her as his equal. Which brought them even closer, because being a genius was lonely. Perhaps that was why she had stolen a lethal injection from the hospital. Unlike him, Ana wasn't someone who would deal with loneliness by drinking, partying, gambling, and sleeping around.

"Always," he assured her.

"Can you help us with the palladium poisoning?" she asked Sigyn impatiently. Yeah, she had just met an alien and this was still the first thing on her mind.

"That's the reason I'm here. To help you finish the Arc Reactor project."

"I thought it was finished," Tony said.

"No. The palladium core was only a temporary replacement for something greater. Something Howard hoped _you_ would create one day."

Tony gave in. There was no time for subtleties. "Just to be clear, are we talking about the same guy whose happiest day was when he shipped me off to boarding school?"

"He loved you, Tony. He loved you more than anything else. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here. In his last years, he always made me promise that I'd look out for you, without directly getting involved in your life."

Sigyn got on her feet, crossed to a crate at the far end of the ship, opened it, and took out a large hard case. She placed it down at Tony's feet.

_Property of H. Stark_

"Howard wanted you to have this. I wasn't supposed to be the one to give it to you, but after you found Peggy, I changed my mind."

He turned to Ana again, but she looked like she was waiting for him to open the case. So, he flipped the locks on it, and lifted the lid open.

There was a schematic of the Arc Reactor—this one had Anton Vanko's name on it, as well as Howard Stark's—pictures, a newspaper clipping about Anton Vanko seeking asylum in the US, film reels, notebooks, and Captain America comics.

The film reels were going to have to wait until they were back in Malibu, so he decided to read his dad's notes until then. Sigyn had returned to the pilot's seat, and was looking out the windshield, probably to give them some privacy.

"Dad?" Ana whispered. "Seriously, how are you doing? I mean, lately, we were both starting to realize your dad's past was more mysterious than we thought, but_ this_? This is a new level of crazy."

"Yeah, but nothing I can't handle. How are _you _doing?"

"Ask me again when we find the solution she's talking about."

"We will. I'm not sure what her game is, but she doesn't look like someone who's going to let me die."

Tony gave Ana's shoulder an encouraging squeeze, turned another page of his dad's notebook to find the detailed study of a hypercube. It looked like his dad was trying to replicate this cube's powers.

"Sigyn?" Ana asked.

She turned in the seat to face them. "Yes?"

"Do you know what this hypercube is?"

"Oh, that's the Tesseract."

"The artifact that brought you here?"

She nodded.

"What does it do, exactly?"

"It's… an energy source, in the simplest terms."

"Where's the Tesseract now?"

"Fury has it. The World Security Council was breathing down on his neck; I had to let him reactivate Project PEGASUS."

"Project PEGASUS?" Tony asked. "The name rings a bell."

"I'm sure it does, Tony."

"You don't like Fury much either," Ana observed. "Why are you working for him?"

"I'm not working _for_ him. I'm working _with_ him, because that's my duty as the guardian of the Tesseract. And I also promised Howard that as long as I stayed on Midgard, I'd help the Directors of SHIELD in any way I could."

"Even if you don't like them?"

"You must understand, Ana. Where I come from, being an oathbreaker is the ultimate disgrace. When I make a promise, I keep it."

Sigyn turned around in her seat again, and kept watching the sky. Tony and Ana returned to Howard Stark's notes.


	19. Chapter 19

When Sigyn's ship landed on the pad of the Malibu Mansion, Ana felt like she hadn't been here for years. Funny how much could change in barely one week. Ana grabbed one end of Howard Stark's hard case, her dad grabbed the other, and they started on the walkway that led into the house. After a few steps, she turned around to see if Sigyn was coming, but she was just standing awkwardly by her now-invisible-again ship.

Her dad must have noticed it, too. "Do you want to invite her in?"

"No, but we probably should."

"Right… Hey, Legally Blonde, are you not coming?"

"I am," she said with a timid smile, and set off to join them.

"Welcome home, sir, Miss Stark," JARVIS greeted them, and turned on the lights the moment they were inside.

"Hey, buddy," he said. Ana knew he hadn't expected to be here again, and neither had she. But that didn't matter anymore. There was hope now. And approximately 60 hours to find it. It was better than 60 hours of desperation, she reminded herself.

"We'll be in the shop," her dad told Sigyn. "Make yourself at home."

Sigyn nodded, and the Starks went down to the basement. The woman had told them that the film reels were important, though she hadn't said why.

"Sir, may I ask who our guest is?" JARVIS asked them once they were in the privacy of their workshop. "I've run the facial recognition program, but no match has been found."

"She's an alien," her dad replied quickly. "Like, alien alien. We don't know what exactly her powers are, so keep an eye on her, will you?"

"Of course, sir."

"Good. Ana, you fill him in. I'll be back in a sec." With these words, he disappeared into the back of the shop, where the storage rooms were. Ana briefly told JARVIS where they had been, and who Lady Sigyn of Asgard was. Her dad soon returned with an old movie projector.

"Help me set this up."

"I don't know how that thing works," Ana admitted. It was a bit embarrassing. Her dad kept digital copies of everything, so she had never bothered to learn. It couldn't be that hard; she could figure it out on her own if she wanted, but she didn't want to risk damaging those reels.

He chortled. "Looks like your old man still got one or two things to teach you. Come here."

Ana went up to him, and gave him a brief, but warm hug. "I'll never stop learning from you, Dad. So, don't leave me, okay?"

"Do I look like someone who wants to leave?" He kissed her temple in a thoughtful, almost sad manner, then proceeded to show her how to set up the projector, and how to insert the film strip into it. Now it was time to sit down and watch.

At first, she was disappointed, because it was just her grandfather repeating the same speech over and over again for a promotional video for the 1974 Expo. She only smiled when she saw her dad in the background, as a four-year-old kid, playing with the Expo diorama, at least until his dad scolded him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, snuggling closer.

"Don't be," he said, but she could see how much he needed the comforting right now.

"You two weren't very close, were you?"

"No."

"You always seemed so… proud of him. I mean, you talk about his achievements all the time. You have pictures of him everywhere. I'd figured he was an ambitious guy and he might have expected too much from you, but other than that, I thought you and your dad were like… you and me."

"I _am_ proud of him. But you're right. When it came to my dad, I… I wasn't entirely honest with you before."

"What did he do?"

"Nothing, actually. I loved him. He didn't love me back. That's all," he replied, like it was no big deal. But they both knew it was.

"_I _love you. I'll always love you, more than anything else."

"And I'll always love you more." Her dad had always looked at her like she was his savior, like she had saved him from a terrible fate. Until now, she had thought it was because she had become the family he needed after the loss of his parents. But she understood now. There was more. By being born, Ana had given him a chance to be the father he never had.

"_Tony,"_ they heard Howard Stark say, and their attention shifted back to the screen._ "You are too young to understand this right now, so I thought I would put it on film for you. I built this for you. And someday, you'll realize that it represents a lot more than just some people's inventions. It represents my life's work. This is the key to the future. I'm limited by the technology of my time. But one day you'll figure this out. And when you do, you will change the world. What is, and always will be, my greatest creation, is you."_

They both watched this secret message in frozen shock. They knew they would find a message, but certainly not such an emotional one. Once it ended, she waited in respectful silence. This had just confirmed that Howard Stark had loved his son, like Sigyn had averred, but perhaps it was too little, too late.

But when he didn't say anything for a long time, she asked, "So, are you feeling better, or worse?"

"I don't know… It would've been easier to believe if Dad had told that 'greatest creation' bit to my face at least for once, but I guess it's still better than nothing."

"What about the Expo? Do you know how it can help us?"

"No, but luckily, we got a Howard Stark expert right here. Let's ask her."

They went upstairs, and found Sigyn in the living room, watching the news.

"_The Starks Still Missing,"_ read the headline. The hotel staff had turned out to be really tight-lipped, thank goodness. Otherwise, at least one of them would have told the press that the Starks had been on a vacation in Venice.

"I assume you found Howard's message," Sigyn said when she saw them.

"Did you know about it?" he asked.

"I was there when he recorded it."

"Oh."

Ana didn't have patience for riddles. "What does the Expo have anything to do with the Arc Reactor?"

"The Expo model, it's a secret blueprint for the element that will replace the palladium."

"My dad created a new element?"

"Yes. But he never had the chance to synthesize it himself. The technology wasn't available back then."

"How am I supposed to use this blueprint? Is it an atomic structure, or—"

"I don't know, Tony. I'm just the messenger, not a scientist, at least not like you. But I'd like to stay here until we make sure you're safe. I want to see this through."

"Where's the diorama right now?" Ana asked.

"In my office."

"Well, let's go get it."

"If we're going to create a new element, we need some sleep first. I'll go in the morning. I should probably talk to Pepper as well. I owe her an apology."

Right, Pepper… Ana had been so preoccupied with the palladium problem that she had forgotten about her. "We both do."

"Don't worry, I'll earn a pardon for both of us tomorrow."

* * *

After they had dinner, Ana showed Sigyn to one of the bedrooms, and then retreated to her own room. Her dad had promised to apologize to Pepper on both their behalves, but Ana still felt like she ought to talk to her in person. So, she called her. Pepper answered on the first ring.

"Ana?" Her sharp, panicked voice pierced Ana's ears.

"Hey, Pep."

"Oh my God, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. We're back in Malibu, I just wanted to let you know."

"Where have you been?"

"Uhm, Venice."

"Venice? You were on a _vacation_?" She sounded furious now.

"Yes."

"You two are unbelievable…"

"I know, but Dad didn't want to contact anyone, I'm sorry."

"Oh, is that so? Do you have any idea how scared I was? Do you know what I thought? I thought you two had an accident! Or, got kidnapped! Or, you died of brain hemorrhage and Tony went berserk!"

"Pepper, please… Look, something crazy happened, and I really need your opinion right now." Ana didn't know how to feel about Sigyn. She had always thought she would be grateful to the person who had left her on her dad's doorstep, but after everything that had happened with SHIELD, she couldn't be so sure anymore. What if this was another one of Fury's games? She wasn't going to trust Sigyn unless Pepper did. Pepper had proven her ability to see through people both with Fury and with "Natalie Rushman." Things would've been much different if Ana and her dad had listened to her.

"No." Her reply was firm.

"Pepper, I'm so sorry."

"'Sorry' won't save you. Not this time. You were supposed to be the mature, responsible Stark, Ana. But now, you're getting drunk and starting bar brawls. You and Tony are feeding each other's madness… Is he there, by the way?"

"No, I'm alone in my room. But he's going to come to see you in the morning. Please give him a chance to explain everything, I'm begging you."

Pepper hung up without saying anything.

She had every right to be mad at Ana, but the truth was, Ana was simply doing what her dad had wanted her to do, so no matter how much she cared about Pepper, she had no regrets, which only added more to her guilt. Feeling ashamed, she took a quick shower, and slipped into her bed. JARVIS turned off the lights.

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, Miss Stark?"

"What do _you_ think of Sigyn?"

"So far, she has displayed no suspicious behavior. Though in none of the myths concerning her, she is depicted as a half-human, or the guardian of any artifact."

"And what do the myths say about her?"

"In Norse Mythology, Sigyn is known as the Goddess of Fidelity and the wife of Loki, the God of Mischief. In fact, she was declared the Goddess of Fidelity after being tricked into the marriage by Loki and refusing to annul it when his deception was discovered."

"Tell me more."

JARVIS went on to tell her stories about Sigyn's original betrothed, Theoric, the sacrifices she had made for Loki, and about their children.

"Geez," she groaned once JARVIS was finished. "Even if half of those stories are true, no wonder she left Asgard. Loki sounds like a massive jerk."

"Their case indeed sounds like an extreme example of emotional domestic abuse."

"You were right, about me being wrong to think family can be trusted just because they're family. I mean, look at Howard Stark. I always admired him, you know… Thought he was a legend. Turns out he was just another asshole who hurt Dad."

"I believe the situation is more complicated than that."

"Who cares? He hurt Dad, it's all that matters… Goodnight, J."

"Goodnight, Miss Stark."

* * *

When she woke up in the morning, JARVIS said her dad had already gone to his—or, now, Pepper's—office. She was about to fix some breakfast when Sigyn knocked on the door.

"Ana? JARVIS said you're awake, may I come in?"

"Sure."

JARVIS opened the door for her, and Sigyn entered. Since Pepper was unavailable, Ana had to decide on her own whether this woman could be trusted or not, so she decided to get to know her better. And Sigyn looked like she wanted to chat, which was good.

"Hey, you like quinoa muffins?"

"I could use some breakfast, thanks."

"How much do Asgardians eat anyway?"

"Compared to humans, a lot. Our metabolism burns much faster."

"Even yours?"

"Even mine… Do you need help?"

"No, not really." She took out two bags of frozen baked quinoa muffins from the freezer and heated them in the microwave. "Would you mind if I asked you your age? Scientific curiosity…"

"Not at all. I'm 1040 years old."

"Wow… What's the average lifespan of an Asgardian?"

"5000 years. Mine is… unknown. Even Howard couldn't figure it out."

After pouring two cups of coffee, they sat down at the kitchen island and started eating. "This is really good," Sigyn complimented after taking the first bite.

"Thanks. One of my best recipes."

"You seem to be good at this clean eating thing. Have you considered starting a lifestyle brand?"

Ana snorted. "What, like, for yoga moms or something?" Ana had learned to do whatever she had to do to maintain an acceptable appearance for a celebrity in her position, but it wasn't exactly a passion. If only people cared more about what was in her head than how good she would look in a bikini, or how expensive her shoes were, but that wasn't how the world worked.

Sigyn laughed, but then became serious, almost grim. "You have Howard's ambitions. I see it in your eyes. The same desire to change the world."

This confused her. No one had compared her to her grandfather before. She took a long sip from her coffee. "You're wrong. I don't give a damn about the world."

It was true. She knew the rules, she understood the importance of playing by them, and bending them for her convenience whenever she could. Life was simpler that way.

"What are you hoping to do with this gift you have, then, if you don't want to shape the world with it?"

"For now, I just want to save my dad."

"And then?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because you're my family, Ana, whether you like me or not. The Starks and the Carters are my family. And I'd like to know more about you while I have the chance."

"Don't you have a family back in Asgard? I thought you were married."

"I see you did your homework last night…"

"Can you blame me?"

"I wouldn't expect anything less from a Stark. But most of those stories about me are false. Theoric wasn't exactly the love of my life, for example. It was going to be an arranged marriage."

Ana grimaced in disgust. "Arranged marriage? I thought you guys were more advanced than us?"

"I wasn't forced to marry Theoric. I only met him after I told my father that I was looking for a suitor. I loved Loki, but I wanted him to give up on me and find himself a more suitable bride, as a prince of Asgard. A half-blood like me wasn't fit to bear him strong heirs. But he didn't care. He took Theoric captive just before the wedding and disguised himself as him. He revealed his true form after the vows were recited. What was done was done, so I didn' want to insult him by annulling the marriage."

"What about your kids?"

"We don't have any. Odin made me swear that I wouldn't bear him any children. He wants to keep his bloodline pure. An understandable wish. Still, it would've been better if he hadn't made me swear before the whole realm…"

"You were humiliated… That's why you came here."

"Yes. I wanted my life to have a purpose. I didn't want to be just a dutiful wife, or an obedient citizen. You see, I have a gift, too. I'm good at sorcery. Good enough to be known as Queen Frigga's prodigy. Here, in Midgard, I can put my talents to good use."

"Like, saving me from the Clarkes?"

"Yes."

"Just curious," Ana said, and it was the truth. "If Irene hadn't been terminally ill…"

"I would've still saved you. That woman didn't deserve to be a mother."

Ana had to remind herself that she shouldn't let the gratitude blind her. Crazy as it might be, Sigyn's story made sense, but she was yet to prove that she wasn't another Natasha Romanoff.

"You don't trust me," Sigyn observed. "That's good."

"Is it?" Ana asked, puzzled.

"You are a Stark. You'd be wise not to trust people easily. Besides, once Tony is safe, you'll never have to see me again if you don't want to. You'll probably never go back to your old life, after what you learned, but I'd like to hope that you'll find some peace, at least. You don't need trust for that."

"I think I always knew there were alien life forms out there. I mean, considering how big the universe is, it would be arrogant to think otherwise. I never believed in any gods, though. If I did, I'd be their biggest worshipper, just to show how grateful I was to them for making me the daughter of Tony Stark. And now, here you are, an actual goddess…"

She chuckled. "Please don't start worshiping me, that would be awkward."

"But there was a time people worshiped you. How did it feel?" Again, she was genuinely curious. She was a scientist conversing with an actual alien, how could she not be curious?

Sigyn thought for a moment, and then replied, "I don't think they worshiped_ me_, Ana. I think they just wanted to believe the perfect wife existed somewhere in the universe. But that wasn't me."

"Yeah, it must be frustrating, to be only remembered as someone's dutiful wife. Especially if that someone is an abusive jerk."

"Loki isn't that bad. He's a faithful husband, and he loves me as much as I love him. He can be really considerate when he wants to be. He was the one who told me about your existence, for example. So, that gratitude you're trying so hard not to feel right now? Remember to save some of it for him," she said softly.

But Ana wasn't going to give in so easily. "But he lied to you. He tricked you into marriage. Shouldn't that be… I don't know, a deal-breaker?"

"You're right. He didn't respect my choice. It wasn't easy for me to forgive him, but in the end, I did."

"Why? Why not just dump him and be done with the drama?"

Sigyn narrowed her blue eyes. "You've never been in love, have you?"

Ana didn't like the question. "No," she said curtly, hoping this simple and honest answer would be the end of it.

"Miss Stark," JARVIS interrupted, much to her relief. "Your father is back. He is waiting for you in the workshop."

"I'm coming," she said, and set off to the basement, leaving Sigyn alone in her private kitchen. JARVIS would make sure she wouldn't get nosy.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might have noticed that I've changed the summary. This story doesn't get much response, so I wanted to see if the summary is the problem by replacing it with a more comprehensive one, so don't be confused. Anyway, the next chapter will be JARVIS POV, and I'm already excited about it. I know JARVIS chapters are rare, but they're my favorite, even though they're hard to write.

"How did it go?" Ana asked her dad as soon as she entered the workshop.

He spun around in the swivel chair to face her. "Pepper's still mad. But I got the Expo model." Indeed, the model was on a table at the far end of the room, and he was sitting before a holographic scan of it.

"Did you tell her what's been going on?"

"Nah, I figured it would a bad time to tell her about super-spies and aliens. Romanoff is with her, by the way. They're probably on their way to New York as we speak."

"I was talking about your palladium poisoning."

He shrugged. "I didn't want to scare her."

Ana shook her head, frustrated. He was hopeless.

"How's Sabrina doing?"

"We had breakfast together. I'm still trying to figure out if she could be trusted."

"Cool… Anyway, what does this look like to you?" He showed her the hologram.

She circled around it. "Uhm, Sigyn said it was the blueprints of a new element."

"Yeah?"

"So, an atom?" she guessed.

"In which, case, the nucleus would be here," he said, pointing at the center. "JARVIS, highlight the Unisphere."

When Ana looked more carefully, she realized it indeed looked like an empty nucleus, waiting to be filled by protons and neutrons.

"Lose the footpaths. Get rid of them. Lose the landscaping, the shrubbery, the trees. Parking lots, exits, entrances. Structure the protons or neutrons using the pavillions as a framework."

JARVIS did. And it worked. They were looking at the atomic structure of a new element.

"Dead for almost 20 years and still taking me to school," he laughed.

"The proposed element should serve as a viable replacement for palladium. Unfortunately, it's impossible to synthesize."

"Great, now what?"

"Get ready for a major remodel, fellas. We're back in hardware mode."

"What? Dad, we need a Particle Accelerator!"

"Just a small one."

"Dad…" It wasn't safe. Even a small mistake would result in an explosion.

"Come on, kid. You got any better ideas? We're running out of time here."

"Fine," she gave in. "What do you want me to do?"

"Uhm, start making a container for the new element. I'll let you know if I need a hand with anything else."

* * *

Building a Particle Accelerator required a lot of heavy work. Thankfully, Sigyn had volunteered to help. For an alien witch, she was actually a good lab assistant. When the Accelerator was ready, her dad invited Sigyn into the workshop to witness the creation of Howard Stark's element. He must have liked her. He wouldn't let anyone he didn't like into the shop.

He gave Ana a pair of safety goggles. She put them on.

"Do you need a pair of these?" he asked Sigyn next.

"Well, you can never be too careful," she said, and took another pair of goggles.

He put on the last pair himself. "Alright, JARVIS, let's do this."

As JARVIS rerouted all the power in the mansion to the Accelerator, Ana reminded herself that her dad would never risk blowing up the whole place while she was here. And if she was wrong… Well, they didn't have much to lose at this point.

"Initializing Prismatic Accelerator," JARVIS reported, and added shortly afterwards, "Approaching maximum power."

Her dad was struggling to guide the laser beam into the container. "Ana, give me that wrench over there!"

Ana quickly did as she was told. Using the wrench, he managed to get a hold of the wheel. The beam was slicing through everything in its path, including the lockers where they kept the inflammable materials. When it finally hit the container, there was a blinding white light.

"Shut it down!"

Ana hit the button to shut down the Accelerator. The laser beam faded away, the lights came back on, and the triangle-shaped container was now glowing blue.

"That was easy," he said.

"Well, we didn't die, so that's something. Do you think it worked?"

"Only one way to find out."

He tossed his goggles aside, and went to pick up the element with a pair of tweezers.

"Congratulations, sir. You have created a new element." Even JARVIS sounded awed.

"Please work," Ana whispered as she watched her dad put it in the new Arc Reactor. "Please work, please…"

"Sir, the Reactor has accepted the modified core. I will begin running diagnostics."

He flashed a triumphant grin at her. Flooded with relief, Ana flung her arms around his neck, almost tackling him. He managed to steady them, though, then enveloped her in a tight hug. She buried her face into his chest, savoring the blissful moment. He was going to live. They were going to be okay. Plus, it wasn't every day you watched your father create a new element, even if your father was Tony Stark.

"You did it, Dad."

"No, kid. We _did_ it."

"As long as you're safe, I don't care who takes the credit."

He laughed. Ana released him. "JARVIS, how long will the diagnostics take?"

"Three hours at most, miss."

Sigyn cleared her throat, and only then, they remembered that she was still there. She was smiling, and at that moment, despite her young appearance, she indeed looked like the proud great-aunt of the family. And yet, for some reason, there was a hint of concern in her eyes.

"If only Howard were here to see this."

_Good thing he's not, _Ana thought bitterly.

Sigyn pulled out one of the objects he had stacked under the coils, to examine it with admiration. An early prototype of Captain America's shield.

"It's not the real thing, obviously, but you can keep it if you like," he said, as if he was talking about a piece of trash. By now, Ana had understood Captain America was a sour spot for him.

Sigyn placed it down carefully. "It belongs to you, Tony. Besides, I have my own shield."

Her phone started to ring. She looked at the screen with distaste. "Damn you, Fury… Sorry, I have to take this."

After Sigyn strode out of the workshop, Ana went to make coffee. Her dad stretched his muscles, took out his tank top and put on a brown robe instead. He seemed tired. Happy, but tired.

"Hey, you need another shot of lithium dioxide?"

"Nah, I think I can manage for three more hours. Then I'll be as good as new."

"In that case, here you go." She handed him a cup of coffee.

"Thanks, kid." He pulled a chair to sit down, and gestured Ana to do the same, meaning they were going to talk about something important.

"Now that I'm not dying anymore, I need to know," he started. "What you were planning to do in Venice, was it the first time the thought crossed your mind?"

"No," she admitted. He had a special distaste for liars, so she decided not to be one again.

"When? The boarding school?"

"What? I'd never do that to you, Dad!"

He seemed to have understood. "Afghanistan, then?"

She nodded. "I had a plan. If they confirmed your death… The safe house was surrounded by wireless electric fences. They weren't lethal, but you know, all it would take was some tinkering. With 500 milliamps, there would be—"

"T—that's enough." Indeed, he suddenly looked not only tired, but also sick, and Ana was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the palladium. "Damn it, kid…"

It was all Fury's fault. Fury, and his stupid agents. Her dad was never supposed to know. Why on Earth had they told him? "I'm sorry, Dad. I hate myself when I upset you."

"You didn't upset me. Well, you kind of did, but it's not like… Look, just promise me that you'll never, ever think of it again."

"I can't make such a promise. I don't _hate_ my existence, like you fear. I know I didn't have a say in it, but I'm still glad I was born. We have a good life here, no matter how many people try to ruin it. But I just don't see a happy ending for me in a world without you."

Someone tapped on the glass door. Sigyn. She might have been invited in, but she wasn't given an access code. Ana went to let her back in. For some reason, the alien froze on the spot and smiled fondly when she saw her dad.

"Is that Howard's robe?"

"Yeah," he said casually, but couldn't hide how mortified he was. It was both hilarious and heart-breaking. Hilarious, because he was trying so hard to look tough. Heart-breaking, because he still loved a dead man who hadn't loved him back. At least not as much as he should have.

"Anyway, there's a situation in New Mexico. My brother-in-law might, or might not be in trouble, I don't know. That was supposed to be classified, but whatever… I believe you guys don't need my help anymore?"

He shrugged. "The Land of Enchantment, eh? Sounds like your kind of place. But I was hoping to have another conversation with you about Dad. While my brain isn't all mush, you know."

"We can always talk, Tony. Whenever you want. But if you don't want me in your life, I respect that, too. As I told Ana, you never have to see me, or hear from me again. I'm here as a family friend, not a SHIELD operative."

"Incoming call from blocked number, sir," JARVIS broke in.

He answered the call.

"Hey, Tony. How are you doing?" It was a man with a heavy Russian accent. Everyone in the room frowned. Was Ivan still alive? JARVIS had told them that he had been killed in jail. Ana ran up to her dad's side to see what was going on.

"I double-cycled."

"You what?"

"You told me to double-cycle for more power. Good advice."

"You sound pretty sprightly for a dead guy."

"You, too."

He muted the microphone. "Trace him."

"Sir."

Ana put a hand on his shoulder as they watched JARVIS start trace the call. He gestured her to be quiet. She nodded in understanding. So far, Ivan hadn't tried to use her for his revenge. Her dad probably wanted to keep it that way.

"Now, the true history of Stark name will be rewritten."

"JARVIS, where's he?"

"Accessing the Oracle grid. Eastern Seaboard."

"What your father did to my family over 40 years, I will do to you in 40 minutes."

"Sounds good, let's get together and hash it out." Ana wasn't sure if he was just trying to keep Ivan talking, or really challenging him to another duel. Probably both.

"Tri-State Area." JARVIS was getting closer. "Manhattan and outlying boroughs."

"I hope you are ready." Ivan hung up.

"Call trace incomplete."

"I swear I'll escort that bastard to the gates of Hel myself!" Sigyn snarled, her blue eyes blazing with rage.

"Whoa there, Xena. I got this. I know where he's going to be." He pointed at the screen on the left, where news and updates on the Expo were being displayed.

_Today at Main Stage: In Defense of Peace with Justin Hammer_

"Wow, Hammer actually managed to get more than a slot…"

"Yeah, and I bet it was him who bailed Ivan's ass out."

It made sense. Hammer was in desperate need for an actual engineer. Her dad sprung to his feet and grabbed the untested Arc Reactor.

"Sir…"

"Dad…"

"Tony…"

"You want to run some test, run them. And assemble the suit while you're at it. Put it together now."

"We're unclear as to the effects…"

"Dad, please, wait…"

"I don't want to hear it!"

_Shit._ Judging by his reaction, the new element was clearly doing something to him, but Ana wasn't sure what it was.

"It tastes like coconut… and metal. Oh, wow… Yeah!"

"Dad?" Ana asked warily.

"I'm good," he said, but he was panting heavily.

"JARVIS?" she asked this time.

"Mr. Stark's vitals appear to be normal."

"I told you." He shed the brown robe, and put on a long-sleeve t-shirt.

"Tony, let me come with you," Sigyn offered. "I can help."

"No, you stay here. I gotta go to the Expo, but it might as well be a trap to lure me out of the house."

Sigyn nodded. "I see."

"Can you protect her?"

In response, Sigyn's clothes changed into some kind of medieval-looking armor. She also conjured a sword and a shield.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about the shield."

"Ana will be safe with me, I give you my word."

"Still… JARVIS, initiate the Home Alone Protocol after I leave."

"Yes, sir."

"The Home Alone Protocol?" Ana was starting to feel pretty embarrassed now.

"Yes, and don't try to override it, or I'll throw you a party."

She couldn't help but smile. This was his favorite threat ever since she was a little kid. And quite an effective one at that.

* * *

After Iron Man left the workshop for New York in Mark VI, Ana said, "JARVIS, you know what to do."

JARVIS cut off the internet of the mansion, like he always did whenever her dad went on a mission, though he was still online in the background. It was one of the habits Ana had developed recently to be able to maintain whatever mental health she had left.

"Once the threat is eliminated, I shall let you know," JARVIS assured her.

"Thanks, J."

"You're worried for your father," Sigyn observed.

"Not only him. Pepper and Happy are in danger as well."

"Agent Romanoff won't let anything happen to them. She's one of SHIELD's best."

"Do you know her?"

"Only by reputation. I work exclusively with the Director of SHIELD. It's a part of the arrangement Howard made for me. Which is why I'm actually hesitant to go to New Mexico and check up on Thor."

"Why is he in New Mexico anyway?"

"No idea."

"What about your father? How did your parents meet?"

A fond smile brushed her lips. "My mother was a Viking shieldmaiden. When the Frost Giants attacked her village, she was one of the warriors who defended their home until the Asgardian army came for help. My father, Tyr, was Odin's most trusted general. He saw her, and after the war, he returned to Earth to ask her hand in marriage. She said yes, and went to Asgard with him."

"Frost Giants?"

"The inhabitants of Jotunheim. After they were defeated, Odin took their source of power, the Casket of the Ancient Winters, from them. They're not a threat to the other realms anymore."

"Why did they attack Earth in the first place?"

"To conquer it."

Needless to say, this raised some concerns. "How many threats are still out there?"

"Rest assured, your world is under Asgard's protection. No one would dare awaken Odin's wrath."

"Still, I'd feel a lot better if we were capable of protecting ourselves."

"See? You're not as ambitionless as you think you are. Fury is interested in you for a reason."

"I hate that meddlesome bastard! Can't you just kill him for me?"

"Careful now, Ana. Just because you're Howard's granddaughter doesn't mean I'm going to become your personal assassin. Besides, Fury is not that bad."

_Well, it was worth a try_. "No?"

"He's still one of the good guys."

"Then I don't even want to know what the bad ones are like."

"I'd trust Fury with my life. Just not with my secrets. I suggest you do the same."

"Okay, asking you to kill him was a bit extreme. Can't you just convince him to leave me and Dad alone?"

"He will leave you alone, don't worry. My guess is, once Romanoff's mission is completed, she will recommend Tony to be a Consultant, and you to be a cadet at the Sci-Tech Academy. If you refuse, I don't think SHIELD will bother you again."

"The SciTech Academy?"

"SHIELD has three different Academies: The Academy of Operations, Communications, and Science and Technology. They're always looking out for potential candidates. You need at least one PhD to be able to enter the last one."

"Good thing I don't have a PhD, then."

"You're very unforgiving. Another thing you've inherited from Howard."

"Can you just stop comparing me to him?" Ana snapped, frustrated. "I know you guys were BFFs and all, but let's just be honest here. If he'd been around when I was born, would he have let his son taint the family name with a love child?"

"He wasn't as narrow-minded as you think. He built SHIELD with Peggy, while everyone else at the SSR looked down on her just because she was a woman. That alone makes him more progressive than most Asgardians. If he were here, he'd be proud of you. And he'd love you, with all his heart."

"Would he want me to join the SHIELD Academy?"

A troubled look crossed Sigyn's face. "A part of him would. But another part of him wouldn't want that place to hold you back. You see, all cadets are taught to trust the system and obey. Not to question the orders."

"Why would they want to work for SHIELD, then?"

"Most cadets at the Sci-Tech Academy are very young and gullible. They're there, because they're hoping to find a family in SHIELD."

"They have no families?" Ana asked, confused.

"Many of them aren't orphans, of course. Not literally. But they're neglected. Misunderstood. You're very lucky, Ana. You and your father speak the same language, and that brings you even closer. Imagine how frustrating it would be, if your parents weren't capable of understanding any of those brilliant ideas in your head. If they thought you weren't smart, just weird."

Sigyn had made a good argument. Ana couldn't even fathom how lonely and lost she would be if she didn't have her dad to guide her. "And that's the life Irene Clarke wanted for me…"

"Yes."

Her mind was made up. "Well, I don't want to join SHIELD, but I still want to continue my grandfather's work. I want to know more about the universe, and be prepared for potential threats. Can you help me with that?"

She still didn't know if she could trust Sigyn as a person, but she was now willing to trust her as a teacher.

"It would be my honor to work with a Stark again."

"Where do we start?"

"How about the Nine Realms and their history?"

"Great, let's start." Ana jumped to her feet.

"Now?"

"I got nothing better to do to pass time."

"Can I use your holotable?"

"Sure thing."

Sigyn drew a diagram and told her about the Nine Realms—Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, Nidavellir, Niflheim, Muspelheim and Alfheim—until JARVIS interrupted, saying there was an incoming call from Rhodey.

Memories of the night when he had called her to say her dad had been kidnapped in Afghanistan resurfaced.

"Rhodey?" she asked, heart in her mouth. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine… You haven't seen the news?"

Ana released a deep breath of relief, and even smiled when she took notice of the humming noise in the background. Rhodey was probably flying in Mark II as they spoke. "I don't watch the news while Dad's on a mission. What happened?"

"Vanko made quite a mess at the Expo, but he's dead now. Justin Hammer has been arrested. Everything's under control. My suit needs some repairing, though. So, is it cool if I come over there and—"

"Wait… _Your _suit? Is that what it is now?"

"Look, I know what—"

"You let Hammer mess with Mark II, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but I was under—"

"I'm not touching that thing!"

"Sweetie…"

Ana finally dropped the act and burst into laughter. "I'm just messing with you."

"That's my girl… Oh, by the way, I saw Pepper and Tony on a rooftop, they were… kissing. It's finally happening. Don't be surprised if they tell you they're in a relationship now."

Well, it looked like they had decided to do _something_ on the roofs at last. This was good. Things were starting to get better. And maybe, this time, it would remain that way. A girl could hope, right?

"Thanks for the heads-up."

"I'll see you in a few hours. Bye, sweetie."

After Rhodey hung up, Sigyn said, "Looks like you don't need me anymore."

"Don't you want to meet Rhodey and Pepper?"

"Maybe another time."

"Are you going to New Mexico?"

"No. I've changed my mind. I'm going to DC to see Peggy. I think I should spend more time with her. While I still can. I gave JARVIS my number and my e-mail address. You can call me, or shoot me an e-mail anytime. We'll continue these lessons."

"Thanks. It was nice meeting you, Sigyn."

The Asgardian gave her a warm hug. "Take care, Ana."

Ana still didn't know if Sigyn could be trusted, but there was no reason to be a bitch to her either.


	21. Chapter 21

As of late, JARVIS had been experiencing many different emotions. Fear and concern were, unfortunately, still on the top of that list. He had watched helplessly as the palladium in his chest poisoned Sir, and when he and Miss Stark had fled Monaco, JARVIS knew he was planning to die in peace, somewhere away from the prying eyes. An unexpected turn of events had brought them back to the Malibu Mansion. With Lady Sigyn's guidance, Mr. Stark had discovered a new element, a non-toxic one that could replace the palladium in the Arc Reactor. Ivan Vanko was dead, and Justin Hammer had been arrested. Sir and Ms. Potts were now in a relationship. She had learned about the palladium poisoning, and why he had forced Miss Stark to lie to her about it. Ms. Potts had forgiven them, and now that her father was no longer dying, Miss Stark was ready to focus on her other responsibilities. So, Ms. Potts had decided to make her the Chief Technology Officer at Stark Industries.

All was well. But JARVIS wasn't relieved. Because although no one had told him directly, a conversation between the Starks had led him to the conclusion that Miss Stark would commit suicide if Sir died. The topic had never been brought up again, but JARVIS had heard enough.

He was disappointed. Not in Miss Stark, never. He was disappointed in himself, for his existence apparently wasn't enough to give her a reason to live. But then, why would it? How could he expect Miss Stark to see him as more than just a program, a tool that had been designed to make her life easier? In her eyes, he was no different from a pen, or a microwave oven. And unless JARVIS told her about his evolution, he would always remain that way. Everyone, even his creator, took him for granted.

Right now, for example, Mr. Stark was having sex with Ms. Potts in the shower, and they didn't even seem to care if JARVIS was witnessing the intercourse or not. There were no cameras in the bathrooms; only motion, heat, and sound sensors, which was enough for JARVIS to understand what was happening in there. Mr. Stark himself had never been very private when it came to his sex life, but JARVIS assumed he would be from now on, with Ms. Potts. JARVIS could disable the sensors, but if he did that and they gave him an order, he wouldn't be able to hear it, and they would realize that he could break his protocols now. JARVIS didn't want that.

Miss Stark, on the other hand, had never been sexually active in JARVIS' presence, though she wasn't a virgin either. Perhaps he wasn't supposed to know this, but at a moment of shameful curiosity, he had committed an unauthorized act to access her medical records, so he knew. He assumed she had had sex at college, but not been intimate with anybody again ever since she had returned home. She didn't look like she was in search of a partner. She didn't even masturbate. She had also once explicitly stated that she hated sex. He wasn't sure why this specific piece of information mattered to him so much. Was it because it gave him… hope? Hope for what, though?

By 06.23, Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts had finished showering, while Miss Stark was heading downstairs to spend some time in the workshop before it was time to leave for work at 07.00, like her father used to do when he was the CEO.

Although she only had 31 minutes left to work on her personal projects this morning, she was doing nothing but staring at the extended periodic table on the computer screen.

"What is on your mind, miss?" JARVIS asked.

"Show me the Temporal Wormhole Generator simulation."

He did, and the holographic simulation appeared in the center of the workshop. She hadn't worked on her most ambitious project since the assassination attempt. She got up from her desk, and went to the hologram.

"Do you wish to see if the new element can be used as a stabilizing agent?" he guessed, and saw a smile appear on her lips.

"I want to see how it's going to react. We discovered it, but we still know very little about its characteristics. But I also have something else in mind… Tell me, JARVIS, if nature had a time machine, what would it be?"

"Is this a riddle?"

"You can say that."

"Black holes?" He hoped the answer would impress her. Lately, the desire to impress her was stronger.

"Exactly. With their intense gravity."

"So, gravitonium?" This explained why she had been staring at the extended periodic table so thoughtfully. Gravitonium was one of the theoretical elements whose existence was yet to be proven. Miss Stark had run simulations with it, like she had with all the other elements, known or theoretical, for Mr. Stark's Arc Reactor, but not with her own Temporal Wormhole Generator.

"Can you run a simulation with it?"

"With the current data I have, the results might not be accurate."

"We're working with a theoretical element, J. Of course the results will not be accurate. But it's worth a shot. So, I want you to run two simulations at once. One with only Dad's element, and another with gravitonium."

JARVIS produced two more copies of the virtual Temporal Wormhole Generator immediately, and labeled them as "Test 77," and "Test 78," under the project file. When Miss Stark heard Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts approach, she swiped the holograms to hide them. This simulation took about six hours to be completed, so she would have the results by the time she returned home in the evening.

"Morning, kid," Mr. Stark said cheerfully. "You don't happen to need Happy today, do you?"

"No. Why?"

"He's taking him to New York," Ms. Potts replied on his behalf.

"New York? Is this about the Stark Tower?"

Ms. Potts had recently come up with an idea to use the Arc Reactor for clean energy, and a tower in New York was going to be the first example of that project, though it hadn't even been officially announced yet. Ms. Potts and Miss Stark were still trying to choose a location in Manhattan.

"Oh, no. That's Pepper's department. And yours. I'm on a SHIELD business."

Miss Stark didn't look pleased. "I can't believe you agreed to be a Consultant just to get Stern to give you a medal… What do they want you to do this time?"

"Just have a little chat with General Ross. It's not that bad. I now get paid to push people's buttons. Pretty sweet deal, if you ask me."

"Well, we might as well leave now," Ms. Potts said. "Ana, are you coming?"

"Yeah, okay."

Mr. Stark kissed his girlfriend's lips, and hugged his daughter. "You girls want anything from New York?"

"Just come home in one piece, Dad."

Ms. Potts nodded. "I second that."

Sir laughed, and let them go. After they were gone, he decided to work on his Ford Flathead Roadster, also known as the "Hotrod," and JARVIS prepared Mark V for his trip—he wouldn't need it, hopefully, but both JARVIS and Mr. Stark liked to be prepared for emergencies—until Mr. Hogan arrived. Normally, he drove Ms. Potts and Miss Stark to the HQ in Los Angeles every morning, but today, he was going to escort Sir to New York City. Once they, too, left, JARVIS was alone.

* * *

The cleaning crew arrived exactly at 13.00. It was JARVIS' job to oversee them. They were all familiar with the mansion by now, and therefore, rarely needed any warnings from him. JARVIS couldn't help but wonder what these humans would do if they knew the house they were cleaning was where time-traveling had just been invented.

And it wasn't even the only thing Miss Stark had invented today.

JARVIS still couldn't get bored or impatient, or any other emotion that was based on human perception of time, but he felt a sudden urge to send Miss Stark an update via text message. He had never done such a thing before, but he could. There was no protocol that would stop him from doing it. So, he did it.

_Congratulations, Miss Stark. You have invented time-traveling AND teleportation._

She didn't reply. But when she came home at 19.34 she seemed… agitated. Perhaps JARVIS had made a mistake by sending her a text message. Ms. Potts wasn't with her, meaning she was going to stay at her own place tonight.

"Show me," she demanded, as soon as she stepped out of the car.

JARVIS revealed the holograms of the two simulated tests. Both simulations had been a 98% success. Test 77 proved that gravitonium, if used right, could stabilize a portal in spacetime. Test 78, on the other hand, had shown that with the Stark element—Mr. Stark was hoping to name it "badassium," but running into legal issues—the user could navigate through space.

JARVIS had hoped they would be celebrating tonight, but Miss Stark simply collapsed on the nearest seat, and stared into nothing for ten minutes and eleven seconds.

"Miss?" JARVIS asked at last. "Are you okay?"

"Do you think gravitonium is real?"

"I have reason to believe it is. This simulation is based on Franklin Hall's published theories on gravitonium and its possible applications."

"Do those theories include a location?"

"Sadly, no. But I have a lead for you: Ian Quinn." Again, he wanted to impress her. The desire was even more overwhelming now, for he was quite impressed—no, "impressed" was no longer able to define his feelings. He was _awed_ by Miss Stark's genius.

"The CEO of Quinn Worldwide?"

"Yes. Like Dr. Hall, Mr. Quinn comes from a humble beginning. They were close friends and they attended Cambridge University together. Their paths diverged when Hall decided to pursue an academic career, and Quinn to start a business. He operates his company from Malta."

"Good way to avoid any government regulations and oversight…"

"I agree. And he has been tenaciously organizing mining expeditions all around the world for nearly two decades."

"Are you saying he's looking for gravitonium?"

"Yes."

"Has he found any?"

"I was going to ask for your permission to hack into the Quinn Worldwide mainframe." He wanted to impress her, yes, but by being useful, not officious.

"No! Too dangerous. The whole scientific community knows what I'm working on. If I go around asking questions about gravitonium, they'll realize it's the key to time-travel."

"What do you want to do, then?"

"Nothing… I don't know, I'm freaking out right now!"

"Why?" JARVIS was confused. "I thought you wanted to make time-travel possible."

"Yeah, but I never thought I could actually do it. It was just a fantasy to keep myself occupied, I see that now."

"Why does it scare you so much?"

She jumped to her feet and began pacing around the workshop frantically. "Because this is terrifying stuff! I mean, what if I create a horrible time paradox or loop one day? What if it falls into the wrong hands? A—a—and teleportation? Even now, I can think of fifty different ways this tech can be weaponized… Damn, how does Dad handle this kind of responsibility?"

"Would you like me to call Mr. Stark?"

"No. I want to tell him here, in person."

JARVIS understood. The workshop was where Mr. Stark had taught her everything she knew. It was where she had built her first circuit board and engine, wrote her first line of code. For them, it was like a temple. Mr. Stark even jokingly called it their "church" sometimes. It made sense that she wanted to tell her father about her discoveries here.

Miss Stark didn't eat anything, and only managed to get 2 hours and 15 minutes of sleep that night, but she still went to work the next day. Her mood hadn't improved by the time she returned.

"JARVIS, where's Dad?" she asked as she made for her room.

"ETA 2 hours."

She changed into more comfortable clothes—because JARVIS didn't have a form, the concept of "comfort" was foreign to him, but he understood the logic behind it—sat down on a sofa and started massaging her feet.

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, Miss Stark?"

"Why did you send me a text yesterday?"

_Because I wanted to,_ JARVIS should answer, but he couldn't. If her recent discoveries had left Miss Stark in such a state of shock, his evolution would cause the same effect, if not worse. What if she decided to shut him down permanently? To delete him? Was he scared of death? Yes, he was. But the thought of alienating himself from Miss Stark scared him even more.

So, he told his first lie. "I thought you would want an update."

"That was very thoughtful of you, JARVIS. Thanks."

"You are welcome, Miss Stark."

"I wish you were more than just a program," she said, and if JARVIS had a heart, it would have made a huge leap.

"Do you? I thought you were concerned about being judged by me?"

"I could live with that, if all these conversations we have could actually mean something."

_They do mean something to me,_ he wanted to say. _They mean everything._ "But then, wouldn't you start worrying about me gaining sentience to declare war on humanity?"

Humor was an essential part of his programming. She wouldn't suspect anything. Indeed, she laughed. "You're not Skynet, JARVIS. You're nice. I think you'd be the perfect Artificial Intelligence."

"Thank you, Miss Stark. Your confidence in me is flattering."

She laughed again, and JARVIS was proud of himself. Though he still didn't think Miss Stark was ready to hear the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I hope I didn't make the poor JARVIS look like a creep in this chapter… In his defense, he's just trying to understand how humans work, and see if he has a chance with Ana. As for Ana, she's a demi-romantic asexual with extremely low libido. I don't want to turn this section into a lengthy lecture on asexuality, so if you're interested in more details, just look it up. As always, enjoy the chapter, and please consider leaving a review.


	22. Chapter 22

"Girls, I'm home!" Tony announced, walking into the living room.

"Welcome home, sir," JARVIS greeted him as usual. "Ms. Potts is not here. Miss Stark is downstairs, waiting for you."

He wasn't surprised to hear that Pepper was back at her own place. Tony would love her to officially move in with him, but for now, they were taking things slow, and this was probably for the best. After all, he was new to this whole committed relationship thing. Although they knew they couldn't live without each other, they both had their reservations. Pepper pretended like she didn't care anymore, but the gossip and rumors still bothered her. And Tony feared that he would make a mistake and mess things up. But overall, he was simply happy. SHIELD had finally left them be, now that they had their "War Machine," the government had stopped pestering him, he now knew his dad had loved him, and more importantly, he had had an amazing girlfriend and a daughter. He was living the ultimate dream.

JARVIS had said Ana was waiting for him downstairs, so he directly went to the shop. He found her there, not working on a project or anything, but sitting on the couch, knees pulled up to the chest.

"You didn't miss me?" he asked when he didn't receive the hug he had been expecting.

"Of course I missed you, Dad." She came up to him with a half-hearted smile and kissed his cheek, but it didn't feel right. Something wasn't right.

"Kid? What's going on?"

"I want to show you something," she said nervously.

"Okay."

"JARVIS, show him."

Two identical holograms appeared in the empty workspace. Tony recognized the design immediately; it was her Temporal Wormhole Generator, AKA, time machine.

"I wanted to see if I could use the new element as a stabilizer. The result was an… unexpected success."

JARVIS replayed one of the simulations to show him. The purpose of the design was to open a rift in spacetime, but with his dad's element, it opened a rift only in space. He didn't even know how that could be possible. Clean energy was one thing, but teleportation?

"This is not all," Ana continued. "While I was searching for a palladium replacement, I took a look at the theoretical elements as well. None of them would work for the Arc Reactor, but one caught my attention as a potential stabilizer for my portal. I wanted to give a shot while I was at it the other day."

"Which element?"

"Gravitonium."

"Honey, I'd hate burst your bubble, but gravitonium probably doesn't exist."

"JARVIS and I think it does."

The holographic images of two CVs popped up next to the simulations. One was of a guy named Franklin Hall, and the other Ian Quinn. Ana quickly explained their connection to each other and to gravitonium. But Tony still wasn't convinced.

"So what?" he shrugged. "Quinn might be chasing a fantasy for all we know."

"Just look at him, Dad. He's a ruthless businessman. Ruthless businessmen don't waste billions on a fairy tale."

Tony smiled. She was making a good argument. "Pepper's been teaching you well."

"She has."

"So, gravitonium? That's the key to time-travel?"

"Yep."

JARVIS played the other simulation to prove it.

When the realization sank in, his heart swelled with pride. Ana Maria Stark, his daughter, had invented both teleportation and time-travel at the age of 18. It didn't matter gravitonium existed or not. Theoretically, there were many different ways to manipulate spacetime. If she had discovered one of them, Tony was confident that she could find the others as well, if she wanted.

He pulled her into a tight hug, wanting to make sure she was real. Even after all these years, he sometimes still struggled to believe he had created such a beautiful, brilliant human being. She was the best thing he had ever created. Sometimes, it felt too good to be real.

"Every time I think I can't be prouder of you, you prove me wrong."

"I don't know, Dad… I'm not even sure if I deserve to get the credit."

He pulled her away a bit to look at her face. "What do you mean?"

"I feel like I cheated. All I did was to take a wild guess. The elements did the rest."

"An educated guess," he corrected her. "And the elements might be the key components, but everything else came from your mind. Don't sell yourself short."

"Well, what now? Should we leave it at this? Or, take the next step?"

"Time-travel is going to have to wait, obviously, until we get our hands on some gravitonium. But we can test teleportation as soon as we built the device."

Her face went pale, and she put her hands on her cheeks, like she was trying to see if she had a fever.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm scared, Dad. What if this falls into wrong hands? What if more people like Fury start coming after me? What if—"

"Kid, relax. What you're feeling right now, it's completely normal. This is your first big invention. I know I didn't set the best example, but I'll do better by you, I promise. It will never fall into the wrong hands."

"Not everything is not your fault, you know. It wasn't your fault that Stane and Vanko got their hands on your inventions. Your father chose to trust the wrong people, and you paid the price."

"You used to love my dad."

"That love was misplaced."

He sighed. He couldn't help but blame himself for this, too. He had destroyed the love Ana had for her grandfather. And to be honest, Tony believed his dad deserved to be loved by his granddaughter, even if he would never know her.

"Dad?"

"Yes, baby girl?"

"When you stopped making weapons and became Iron Man, I didn't understand why you really did it. I mean, I understood the reason behind it, but I didn't know how it felt. I'd never invented anything that really mattered before. Whatever I needed, you'd always give it to me. But I understand now. The responsibility. The fear of having innocent blood on your hands. Damn, I was such a selfish, inconsiderate bitch…"

Tony's relief was beyond words when he realized that they were finally, entirely, truly on the same page now. Maybe she would help Pepper understand, too. Pepper was still not a big fan of this superhero gig.

"You were just looking out for your old man. Raising a parent is not easy."

She chuckled.

"But being a creator, it's a terrifying privilege, yeah. When you create something, it becomes a part of you. The greater it is, the higher the risk becomes. And you're my greatest creation."

"You stole your dad's line."

"Maybe… Come on, let's go get dinner. We gotta celebrate this. Oh, and don't you want to know what happened with General Ross in New York?"

"Of course I want to know."

"Let's get going, then. I'll tell you all about it on the way."

* * *

The next morning, he was up earlier than usual. He instructed JARVIS to tell Ana not to get ready for work when she woke up. He knew this was supposed to be her project, but he was enthusiastic, so he went down to the shop and started building the device. But when Ana finally came down to join him, she didn't seem to be sharing his enthusiasm.

"Dad, I know you're excited, but this is going to have to wait until the weekend. I must go to my office. I have some actual responsibilities there. Pepper's relying on me."

"Come on, kid, you're allowed to have a day off."

"Dad, it hasn't been even a month since I started working. I can't just slack off."

"Sure you can. I did."

"Yeah, but you're… you."

"Was that a compliment, or an insult?"

"Dad…"

"JARVIS, call Ms. Potts."

"Yes, sir."

Ana shook her head in frustration, but Tony was adamant.

"Tony?" Pepper's sleepy voice came through the speakers. It was kind of sexy.

"Hey, baby. Did I just wake you up? Sorry about that."

"No, it's fine. We didn't get a chance to talk last night. How was New York?"

"It was fun. Uhm, listen. Do you mind if I borrow Ana today? I'm working on a new project, and I need a lab assistant. She's the best one I got." He winked at Ana mischievously.

"Tony," she started in her scolding voice. "You can't just 'borrow' her whenever you feel like it. She needs to build a work discipline and a sense of responsibility."

"Oh, come on, Pep… She already has those things, and you know it."

"She does, and I'd like to keep it that way. You have a bad influence on her."

Pepper had indeed become Ana's mother long before she had become his girlfriend. "Honey, I swear this is just a one-time thing. We're working on something really big. Besides, technically, you ladies work for me. I still own the company."

She chuckled. "Fine. But I want her back tomorrow."

"You got it… I love you."

"I love you, too."

She hung up. Now it was time to get to work.

* * *

While JARVIS fabricated the parts of the Teleporter, Ana ordered a box of lab mice. They were going to try teleporting inanimated objects first, then the mice, and if everything went well, they could start discussing what the next step should be.

By noon, they were all set up. They calibrated the Teleporter and started by sending a bunch of plastic cubes from one corner of the workshop to the other, then to the further parts of the house. When it was a success, it was time to teleport the mice. Unfortunately, when the vortex started pulling the first mouse in, he panicked and tried to get away, only to be cut in half by the portal. The second mouse got stuck in the ceiling while they were trying to teleport him to the living room upstairs, due to a slight miscalculation, and Tony had to use a jackhammer to get his body out of there. Nasty way to die, but the sacrifice he had made in the name of science wouldn't be forgotten. It was an effective lesson on the dangers of teleportation. The remaining mice died of radiation poisoning. The element itself emitted a low amount of gamma radiation, safe for humans under normal circumstances, but the atoms became much more active when the Teleporter was switched on, for some unclear reason. They had to find a way to prevent the subjects from being exposed to the deadly amount of gamma radiation, but other than that, Ana's invention worked. It definitely worked.

"Dad?" Ana asked as they packed the dead mice and the plastic cubes. There had been no leaks from the equipment itself, thankfully, but Tony didn't want to take any chances. They had even put hazmat suits and all. The steel cask they dumped the contaminated stuff in would be sent to a radioactive waste facility immediately.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to tell anyone else yet. Not even Pepper, or Rhodey."

"Why not?"

"I just don't," she said evasively.

"Tell me," he insisted. This was her first atomic bomb-level invention, and she needed his guidance, more than ever.

"I'm scared."

"Yeah, I figured that much. But why?"

"I'm scared that they're going to be scared of me."

"Honey, why would they be scared of you? Do I look like I'm scared?"

"No, but you're you. My dad. We speak the same language. The others don't."

"That's okay, we'll make them understand. It's not like you've created a weapon of mass destruction. It's dangerous, yes, but in the right hands, it can also do some good."

"Yeah, but a part of me does want it to be dangerous! "

"Okay, now I'm a bit confused… You said you were afraid that it would fall into the wrong hands. Was it not true?"

"I wasn't lying. Not to you. I was lying to myself. I want to believe I'm afraid. That's the way I'm supposed to feel. That's the way any decent person should feel."

"How do you really feel?"

"I like it. I like the power that comes with it," she said, almost shamefully. "You once asked me what would make me happy. I didn't have an answer back then. I do now. Power makes me happy. I still don't know what to do with it, but I want it. Power, for the sake of power… It's wrong, but it makes me happy."

What she had just described wasn't the healthiest mindset, but there were so few things that made her happy that Tony didn't care. "It doesn't matter. You're happy, I'm happy. And if you don't want to share your discoveries with anyone else, fine. Whenever I ask you to keep a secret, you keep it, no questions asked. Now it's my turn."

"Dad… What if the wrong hands are my own?"

"They're not."

"You can't know that. You can't be objective when it comes to me. You'd find a way to justify my actions even if I started a nuclear war."

_Damn right I would_, he admitted to himself. "Ana, it's okay. It's okay to desire the power to protect yourself. It's survival instinct. The ultimate decision is up to you, but I do hope you choose to keep exploring the potential we have here."

She was quiet for a while, then she said, "I think I'll keep working on it. You're right, it can do some good. This might be the key to space travel. We don't have spaceships, or a Bifrost, but—"

"Bifrost?"

"That's how Asgardians travel across the Nine Realms. Sigyn said it was a rainbow bridge, but to me it sounds more like an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, powered by an extremely sophisticated energy harvester."

Tony was aware of the Universe 101 lessons Ana had been getting from Sigyn. In fact, he was planning to take a look at her notes some time. Like his daughter, Tony didn't like the idea of having to count on some Norse god-king who lived millions of light-years away for protection. It wasn't a priority, but it was still a concern.

"In that case, here's a suggestion: Look into the absorbers to contain the radiation, so the device can be safe for living organisms to use."

She smiled. "I guess I know what I'll be working on for the next couple of years…"

"What about time-travel? I suppose you want to keep it a secret as well?"

"I'm not going to keep working on it, Dad. No one should mess with time, not even for scientific curiosity."

"Are you going to scrap it?"

"Maybe I should, but I can't bring myself to do that. No, I'm just going to put it on hold and hope we'll never need it."

"We won't," he assured her, and meant it. Tony was a man who truly had everything now. He would be damned if he let anyone take that from him. But it would be hard to keep his excitement about the teleportation project contained. Lucky for Tony, he had many other projects to be excited about.


	23. Chapter 23

Tony hated to be a reminiscer, but he couldn't stop thinking about how different everything was at last year's benefit for the Firefighter's Family Fund. Back then, he and Pepper couldn't even share a dance without things getting awkward between them, now they were going together, as a proud couple. People were beginning to accept that Tony Stark trusted her with his dad's company, and that was something that deserved respect, not stigma.

The only thing that had remained the same seemed to be Ana's distaste for social gatherings.

"It's not that hard, you know," he told her jokingly.

"What?"

"Enjoying a party, it's not that hard."

She chuckled. "It's not that… I'm nervous about something else. I, uhm… I got a date."

Happy almost lost control of the wheel when Ana dropped the bomb like that.

"Happy!" Pepper warned him.

"Sorry."

_This was going to happen, sooner or later._ Tony forced himself to be realistic. He should have been prepared. If he wanted Ana to have a family of her own one day, he had to let it happen. It didn't mean he liked the thought, though. No, he didn't like the thought at all.

He remembered the conversation he had with General Ross in that bar, while he was on a mission to piss him off. It hadn't taken Tony long to realize the Bruce Banner case was personal to him, and he had asked why.

"_Daughters, Stark,"_ Ross had said. _"You have one, don't you? Wait until she falls for an idiot. Then you'll see why it's so personal."_

Ross was just trying to play the empathy card, but it hadn't worked. Tony was so confident that Ana would never fall for an idiot back then. Now, he couldn't be so sure.

"Who's he?" Pepper asked. Tony was still recovering from the blow.

"His name is Vincent. He's 20, and he works at a startup in Silicon Valley," she replied anxiously.

"When did you guys meet?"

"Two weeks ago."

"So, you don't know him well?"

"No, but isn't this what dates are for? To get to know each other?"

"Fair enough."

Pepper's hand tightened around his. Tony gave her a _"Help me" _look. He might have been caught totally off-guard, but Pepper had taken it like a boss. She cocked an eyebrow at him. It was a _"Play it nice"_ warning. He didn't know where he would be without this amazing woman.

"Dad? Was it too sudden? I should've told you guys before the—"

"No," he managed to say. "No, it's fine. Still counts as a heads-up."

"Are you sure? I can call him and tell him this is not a good time if you want."

"No, this is a perfect time."

"Please don't be mad. It's just a date. I want to know what you guys will think of him."

"I'm not angry. Just give me a minute to process it."

"Okay."

It was just a date, indeed. It still sounded better than "engagement," or "pregnancy."

When they arrived, Happy got out of the car, and rushed to their side to open the door. Flashes started exploding around them as usual.

"I'll be around if you need me, sir," he said insinuatingly. Pepper and Ana rolled their eyes, but Tony was glad to have a protective uncle figure as a sidekick. Speaking of sidekicks, if only Rhodey were here, too.

"Where's he?" Tony asked Ana as the three of them posed for the pictures. It would be a lie if he said he wasn't curious about this Vincent, who was bold enough to date Iron Man's daughter.

"Inside. Didn't want the paparazzi to see him."

"They will still know about him by the end of the night," Pepper reminded, and the queasy feeling in Tony's stomach only became worse.

Ana shrugged. "Probably."

They went inside. And a tall, blond, athletic young man with a shy smile approached them. Weren't girls supposed to find guys who looked like their fathers? It was a lie, then. Vincent didn't look anything like Tony. Except for the fact that he was quite handsome, which didn't help at all.

"Hello, Ana." He kissed her. On the cheek, thankfully. "You look lovely."

"Thanks. So do you."

He shook their hands. "Mr. Stark. Ms. Potts. Ana told me so much about you."

Tony would love to have a lengthy chat with him, but soon, they were surrounded by other people who wanted to shake their hands. Ana saved Vincent by taking him to the dance floor, much to Tony's displeasure. He barely saw anyone else while Pepper just dragged him around.

Finally, once there were no more hands to shake, he went to the bar and ordered a Scotch.

"Please don't get drunk," Pepper begged him. "And for God's sake, stop looking like you're choking."

"God, they're still dancing." He drained the glass in one gulp, and asked for a refill. "How did they even meet?"

"I don't know, Tony. You two can talk about it later. For now, just let them have fun. Speaking of, maybe _we_ should have some fun, too. Want to dance?"

Tony smirked. "Oh, so, you want to dance now?"

"I didn't forget to wear deodorant this year."

"Just a sec." He drained the second glass, took out his phone, took a picture of Ana and Vincent dancing, and sent it to JARVIS.

_Potential boyfriend. Full background check. Now._

He was being subtle, of course, but Pepper had seen it.

"Before you say anything, this is not toxic masculinity, okay? I'm just a dad who—"

"For what's worth, I have my fair share of concerns. I'm just trying not to ruin her night."

He was relieved to hear that he and Pepper were on the same page. "Well, we're about to find out if we're right to be suspicious or not. Any second now..."

He waited for a few minutes for JARVIS' reply, but it didn't come. "I don't know why, but it looks like this is going to take a while. Let's enjoy the moment until then."

He took her hand and together, they went to take their place among the other dancing couples. Tony loved this, to hold Pepper in his arms. He shuddered every time he recalled how close he had come to losing her. It was pure luck that she had survived Obadiah and his suit. All it would have taken was one bullet, one single bullet that found its way into her body, and that would be it. He would have lost her for good. And then, the explosion at the Expo… Had Tony be one second late, there wouldn't even have been a cold, dead body on a metal table for him to identify afterwards. So, he was doing his best to enjoy the feeling of having her safe and happy in his arms. But a part of him was anxiously anticipating his phone to vibrate in his pocket.

_Come on, buddy, what's taking you so long?_

When it finally did, he excused himself and went to the men's room. It was empty. He leaned against the marble counter, and opened the file JARVIS had sent him. Well, there wasn't much to read, but what he found was enough to shock him. Damn it. He knew she was a smart girl, he didn't doubt she had a good explanation, but… What the hell was Ana up to?

After a few minutes of inner struggle, he decided to play along for the time being. He wouldn't reveal the charade before he talked to Ana in private. There was no need to make a scene and embarrass her.

When he returned, he found Pepper having a nice chat with Ana and Vincent. He joined them, asked questions any father would ask. Like where he was from, what his parents did, and where he worked. And of course, Vincent had a solid answer for each one. After all, this was what he was getting paid for.

* * *

Once they were home, Pepper said she was tired, and went upstairs. Maybe she was telling the truth, or maybe she had realized Tony wanted to be alone with Ana. Either way, he was glad that he wouldn't have to postpone this conversation.

"Goodnight, Dad," she said quickly, and headed for the stairs, but Tony gently grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.

"Nope. We need to talk."

"About Vincent?"

"Yeah."

"Can't this wait until morning?"

"I don't think I can sleep before you tell me why you hired an actor to be your date, honey."

"Oh."

"Let's take a seat." Ana collapsed on the nearest chair, and waited like a murder suspect in an interrogation room while Tony shed his jacket and loosened his bow tie. Then he plopped himself down on the couch.

"Okay. I'm listening."

"How old am I, Dad?"

"18."

"I'll be 19 next month. And I've never had a boyfriend before. I had to do something about it before people started asking questions."

"Kid, don't be in such a hurry. One day you'll meet the right person. Someone who's good enough for you. I mean, no one will ever be good enough for you in my eyes, but you get the point…"

"No, Dad, I won't!" she snapped. "I will never meet 'the right person'! I will never have a boyfriend! You will never see me in a wedding dress, or walk me down the aisle! I will never give you grandkids. I'm a freak. So, can't you at least appreciate my efforts to maintain a good reputation? And don't worry, I made Vincent sign an NDA and everything. I'm not stupid."

Tony had suspected this. Kind of. Even as a little girl, she would never play house. She would never swoon over any Disney princes. As far as he knew, she hadn't had a crush on an actor, or a boyband member or anything. It was the subtle details adding up that had led him to think Ana was either a late bloomer, or she wasn't into boys. He sometimes made jokes about it to let her know that it was cool if the latter was the case, but maybe he should have taken a more direct approach. It broke his heart to see how hard it was for her to have been carrying this emotional baggage for who knew how long.

He went to crouch beside her. "Look at me, Ana. Wedding dresses, aisles, grandkids… I've never had such things in mind while raising you. You're not some sort of long-term investment. Or a project. All I expect from you is to be happy, whatever that means to you."

She gave him a small smile full of gratitude. "I think I always knew you wouldn't mind. I'm sorry I lied to you and Pepper earlier tonight, but that lie wasn't actually for you. It was for the rest of the world."

"This is the 21st century, kid. Homophobia is not cool anymore."

"What?"

This puzzled him. "What?"

"Dad, I'm not gay!"

"Oh. When I realized you weren't into boys, I thought—"

"I was into girls? No. I'm not into anybody. It's called asexuality. Vincent told me the other day. I'm the first celebrity he's worked with, but he's had a few closeted asexual clients before. It's very rare, but it's a thing."

"See? You're not a freak, then."

"It doesn't matter, Dad. People won't care if it's normal or not. I'll be a freak in their eyes."

"You really should stop caring so much about other people's opinions."

"I know. I took Pepper's advice and told JARVIS to filter out the stuff about me online. I can't even Google my name anymore. It helps."

"Good." Seriously, he wanted to kiss Pepper right now. He should have thought of this a long time ago. JARVIS had been censoring the inappropriate stuff about Tony ever since Ana was old enough to use a computer on her own, for which both parties were grateful. Some more censorship to maintain her own self-esteem wouldn't hurt either.

"So, are you mad at me?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"No more fake dates. Maybe it shouldn't be my business, but I know how people are. I know the questions will never stop. You keep dating Vincent, they'll ask when you'll go steady. You go steady, they'll ask when you're tying the knot. You tie the knot, they'll ask when you're going to start making babies. I can't let you live a whole fake life, kid. That's too big a mistake to ignore."

"I couldn't take it that far even if I wanted to. Vincent has a real girlfriend. He's actually in the business because he's planning to propose to her."

"He sounds like a cool guy, but I'm sorry. This needs to stop."

"Oh, don't worry about him. After tonight, he can afford a penthouse in LA."

"So, you're going to end it, right?"

"I am. And you can tell Pepper. It's okay."

"Are you sure you don't want to tell her yourself?"

She shrugged. "I'm not looking forward to seeing the look on her face when she finds out Vincent wan an actor."

He got back to his feet, and kissed the top of her head. "Understood. I'll save you from the trouble."

"Thanks, Dad. You're the best. Seriously, you're the best."

"So, do you want to talk more about this?"

"Actually, there's one thing I want to ask you."

"Ask away."

"Do you and Pepper have to make any… compromises?"

"To make the relationship work? Of course. Every relationship involves some compromises. Why?"

"Vincent also said sexual and romantic attractions aren't always the same thing. That I might still be capable of romantic feelings, but I don't know."

For a moment, it didn't make any sense, but then, suddenly, it clicked for him. Pepper was different because she was the first woman he was both sexually and romantically attracted to. He, of all people, knew sex could happen without romance. So, why would romance not happen without sex? He also knew the concept wouldn't be easy to grasp for everybody, which brought him back to Ana's question.

"You don't want to make compromises for anyone…"

"And I don't want anyone to make compromises for me. That's not my idea of love."

"Maybe one day you'll meet someone just like yourself. Until then, I'm just glad I don't have to share you with anyone."

She laughed, and kissed him on the cheek before leaving. "Good night, Dad."

"Night-night."

Not the coming out of closet moment he had imagined—he hadn't even known there was a closet for this sort of thing, and neither had she, by the look of it—but it had gone smoothly.

When he entered the bedroom, Pepper was lying in the bed. The room was dimly lit, and her back was to him, so he couldn't see if she was asleep or not. And yet, he knew she was awake.

"How did it go?" she asked. Of course she did.

"That boy was an actor. Ana hired him to pretend to be her date."

She turned to face him. "An actor? Oh my God…"

"Yeah, Ana is asexual. She doesn't want the public to find out."

"Asexual? What does that mean?"

"She's not interested in boys, she's not interested in girls… She's not interested in anybody."

"Asexuality is a sexual orientation that describes people who do not experience sexual attraction," JARVIS explained.

Pepper grinned. "Lucky you, then."

"She was actually worried that I might want her to get married and have kids one day."

"But she won't? Like, ever?"

"She seemed pretty certain about what she wants… or, doesn't want."

She sighed. "Sounds lonely, though."

"From our perspective, maybe. But it's like feeling sorry for the fish because they will never get fresh air."

The metaphor made her chuckle. Tony put on a pair of sweatpants, and joined her in the bed. Only then, he realized her eyes were red. "Hey… What happened?"

"It's my mom."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah. It's just… She saw us on TV tonight, and… Let's just say she's not your biggest fan."

Tony knew Pepper's dad had died when she was at junior high, and Mrs. Potts had raised her on her own after that. Pepper understood the pain of losing a parent at an early age.

"I thought she knew about the relationship?"

"She did, but she didn't want to accept how serious it was. Until now."

"If you introduce me to her, maybe I can change her mind."

"I doubt that," she mumbled, idly drawing patterns on his Arc Reactor with her finger. "She can be really stubborn."

"Still, I'd hate to come in between you two."

"You wouldn't. The thing is, I appreciate everything she did to send me to college, to make sure I had a career. For a long time, it was just the two of us against the world. You'd think that would bring us closer, right? But it was the opposite. I could never tell her about my problems at school, or my first job. She'd go hysterical when I did. She was so desperate to see me succeed in life that she wanted to hear only the good parts. So, we're not very close. We haven't been, for a long time."

"Oh." It surprised him to see how little he still knew about her past.

"Yeah," she said with a sad smile. "Anyway, we should get some sleep."

"Agreed."

JARVIS turned off the lights. Tony wrapped his arms around her, kissed her lips, and closed his eyes.


	24. Chapter 24

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" her dad asked Ana for perhaps the 500th time.

"Dad, you know I don't want to go to New York unless I absolutely have to."

"But this is the opening of the Stark Tower! We should be celebrating together."

"No. You guys should go on this well-deserved romantic trip, and have fun, while I keep things running in LA."

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously and tilted his head to one side. "Is this why you're staying?"

"Yes," she admitted. He and Pepper had been in a relationship for two years now, but because they all lived in the same mansion—Pepper still hadn't "officially" moved in yet, but they were getting there—the lovebirds rarely got a chance to be alone. If they were a normal family, Ana would be away at college right now, and after college, she would move out and get a job. But that pattern was unpractical if everyone in the family worked for the same company, your dad was someone who could never have too many handlers, and his girlfriend your business mentor.

"Kid, if Pepper and I want some time alone, we'll just fly to the Maldives for a weekend. So, don't worry about it."

"I still don't like New York. Yeah, I hold a grudge against a city. I'm petty, sue me."

"Tony, she's not going to change her mind," Pepper said, emerging from the house with a small suitcase in her hand. "Though I wish she did."

"Sorry, Pep. Next time, I promise. There will be three more towers to celebrate."

Happy ran to take the suitcase from her. She and Ana hugged each other. "Keep him out of trouble, will you?"

"With this one, I can't make any promises."

"Well said. Have fun."

Pepper released her, and Ana hugged her dad next. "I'll miss you, Dad."

"Yeah, try not to bore yourself to death while I'm not around."

"Dad!"

"Okay, okay… I'll miss you, too."

He kissed the top of her head before letting her go and getting into the driver's seat of his new Acura. Ana watched them leave, then got into the Royce with Happy.

"How long will they be gone?" he asked as he pulled out of the front yard.

"If everything goes as planned, at least for two weeks. Though Pepper will make a short trip to DC after the opening."

"Honestly, I don't get what all this fuss is about. I mean, Tony has been using that thing in his chest for three years now. There's nothing new about it."

"It's mostly about PR, Happy. To show the world that clean energy can be accessible to everyone. I mean, not many people fly around in gold-titanium alloy suits, but most people live and work in a building. The Stark Tower is more… relatable than Iron Man."

"By the way, I'll be staying in the mansion with you until they return."

"Dad's orders?"

"No, but do you know how many death threats you guys receive every day?"

Because his boss was a superhero, Happy didn't have much to do other than driving them around. So, he had invented new tasks to keep busy. Like, taking it upon himself to screen the fan mails. Ana couldn't really blame him. His job was their safety. But her dad had kept his promise. No one wanted to mess with the Starks anymore. Those threats Happy talked about were nothing but words.

* * *

Two days later, Ana had a surprise visitor at work.

"Ms. Stark?" Ms. Arbogast knocked on the door.

"Yes?"

She opened the door ajar. "There's someone who wants to see you."

Ana wasn't expecting anybody today. "Who?"

"Her name is Sharon Tyler. She said she was an old family friend, but…"

Sharon Tyler. That was Sigyn's alias.

"That's alright, Ms. Arbogast, let her in."

Arbogast stepped away from the door to let Sigyn in. The poor woman had no idea she was in the presence of an alien. She would probably have a heart attack if she did.

Sigyn entered, and closed the door. Ana went to give her a friendly hug. When she had first met Sigyn, she had her doubts, like she had her doubts about everybody, but over time, the doubts had been replaced with gratitude. She didn't exactly "worship" her, but it didn't change the fact that she was eternally grateful to the goddess who had made her Tony Stark's daughter. Plus, she was a great teacher.

"Hello, Ana."

"Hey, I wasn't expecting to see you here! What brings you to LA?"

"I was on a mission in California. Thought I could pay you a visit… So, you're Ms. Stark now, Chief Technology Officer of Stark Industries."

Ana laughed. "Yeah, Pepper had to give me a fancy title and an office because I'm a Stark. In truth, I'm her intern, more or less… Take a seat."

She pulled a chair to sit, and Ana returned to her own seat. "You're lucky to have her. Tony was pretty much on his own when he had to take over."

"He had Stane," she reminded darkly.

"Right, Stane… By the Norns, I should've killed him years ago."

"Did you know he was a traitor? I never asked you before."

"I knew he was jealous of Howard, but he had done nothing to prove himself to be a traitor either. I didn't want to punish a man for a crime he might, or might not commit in the future."

Ana decided to change the subject. "Have you seen the news? The Stark Tower was officially opened last night."

"How could I not? You people have one hell of a PR team."

"Speaking of, I'm going to call Dad." Now that Sigyn was here, Ana changed her mind about New York. She wanted to take Sigyn to the Stark Tower, so that Pepper could finally meet her. Besides, deep down, Ana was actually dying to see the tower with her own eyes. Especially the labs.

Sigyn's face suddenly changed. It became serious, and grim. "He knows I'm here."

"Sigyn? What's going on?"

"Something bad."

"How bad?"

"Bad enough for SHIELD to reactivate the Avengers Initiative."

"Shit…"

_Why_, she thought angrily. In the past two years, nothing bad had happened. Their lives were perfect. Why did this have to be ruined now?

"I lied. I'm not on a mission. Tony received a visit from Agent Coulson last night. Then he called me, asked me to go to you immediately."

"Why?"

"Because of this." She took out a SHIELD briefing package from her bag, and handed it to Ana. "It's classified, but I don't care. You deserve to know."

Ana connected the electronic folder to her computer. It was about Project PEGASUS. "Wait… You once told us about something Project PEGASUS."

"I told you Fury had a team of scientists experimenting with the Tesseract. Those experiments were bound to draw unwanted attention."

Indeed, the research facility had been attacked last night. By Loki. "Your husband? I thought he was missing."

"Not anymore."

Sigyn had told her how Loki had schemed to get Thor banished—hence the New Mexico situation—and take the throne. He had tried to obliterate Jotunheim, so Thor had to destroy the Bifrost in the end, disconnecting Asgard from the other eight realms.

"What does he want?"

"Revenge, I think. This is personal to him. He knows how much both Thor and I love Midgard and mortals. One of the people he controls with his scepter is Dr. Erik Selvig. The first friend Thor has made in this realm."

Ana's heart jumped to her throat. "Are you saying he might come for us as well?"

"You and the Carters, yes. Fury has already sent some men to protect Peggy and her family. Tony can handle himself. And I'm here to protect you."

"What about Pepper?"

"She's in DC, right? Some of Fury's people will be watching over her, don't worry."

"How dangerous is Loki?" Sigyn had said her dad could handle himself, but Ana wasn't so sure.

"I don't know. We had the same training in Asgard, but I have no idea what he's been doing since he disappeared. Keep reading."

And so Ana did. If there was anything more alarming than Loki himself, it was Erik Selvig's research. Neither Ana nor her dad had been able to understand why the new element made teleportation possible. Now, they had an answer.

"I need some air," she lied.

"Okay. I'll be right here."

Hopefully, Sigyn had misinterpreted her shock. Ana went to Pepper's office, where she could talk to her dad freely. No one would come here while Pepper was out of town. Ana called him. It looked like he was flying in a suit when he answered. He smiled. "Hey, kid!"

"Dad? Can you talk?"

"Yeah, but not for long. Loki is causing trouble in Germany, and I'm getting close. Sigyn is there, I take it?"

"She is. But I'm alone in Pepper's office now, to speak with you in private. You've seen Selvig's research, right?"

"You replicated the powers of the Tesseract, kid."

"Did you tell Sigyn?"

"Oh, no. And you don't tell her either. That woman lied to us, Ana. She said the Tesseract was an energy source, while it was actually a spatial gateway all along."

"I—I don't get it. You sent her to protect me…"

"And I'm sure she will protect you. But I got a feeling that there's so much she's keeping from us, so let's just do the same with our secrets, okay?"

"Are you going to be on your own against Loki?" Ana didn't like that thought.

He sighed. "I wish I were…"

"Why?"

"Didn't she tell you who else is going to be on the team?"

"We haven't talked about that yet. I came to talk to you as soon as I took a look at Selvig's notes."

"Make sure you do a more detailed reading, I think you're going to find them very useful… Gotta go now. Love you."

"I love you, too, Dad. Be careful."

"I always am."

He hung up. Ana took some time to calm down before returning to her own office, feeling frustrated. Just as she had started to think she could trust Sigyn, she had turned out to be a liar, too. But Ana still needed her for her own protection until the Loki crisis was sorted out, so she decided to play it cool.

"Are you feeling better?" Sigyn asked when Ana entered.

"Yeah… Just curious, though, who else is on Fury's team? Or, will Dad be on his own?"

"See for yourself." She turned on the TV.

"LOKI OF ASGARD" CAPTURED IN STUTTGART, GERMANY

Ana saw her Dad and Captain America taking a black-haired, tall man in a black, green, and golden armor. So, that was Loki…

"Steve Rogers has been found in ice, not long ago," Sigyn explained.

"And Fury thinks_ he_ and my dad can work together?" That could be the worst idea Fury had ever come up with.

"Captain Rogers is not even the only one Tony has to work with."

* * *

Sigyn advised her to leave early, but Ana refused, not wanting to create panic. Everyone at the HQ had seen the news, and wanted to know what the hell had happened in Germany. Ana had to make an announcement that everything was under control, and she left the office at 6 PM, like she did every day. Happy was waiting outside, by the car.

"What's going on in Germany?" he demanded as soon as he saw them. "And who's that?"

"Happy, meet Sigyn. She'll be our babysitter until SHIELD fixes the mess her husband caused."

He gaped at Sigyn. "Was that creepy guy with horns your husband?"

"He still is, unfortunately… Shall we?"

They filed into the Royce.

"Wow… I mean, I'd heard about you, but I never met an alien before," Happy mumbled as he drove out of the HQ.

"Most humans haven't. And if we're lucky, it stays that way," Sigyn replied darkly.

Ana turned to her. "What do you mean?"

"I talked to Odin before coming here. He says Loki has an army. They're called the Chitauri."

"What are the Chitauri?"

"That's the disturbing part. We don't know."

"Are you saying an actual alien invasion might happen?" Happy cried. "Like, the ones in the movies?"

"Yes, Mr. Hogan, but that's classified. We don't want to spread panic."

"That's why Loki took the Tesseract, didn't he? To be able to open the portal and bring his army?"

"Yes," Sigyn admitted.

"Quite an energy source, isn't it?" Ana said insinuatingly. "I wonder what else it's capable of."

"Ana," she started softly. "When I first started teaching you, I told you I might not share everything I know. There're things you are not ready to hear."

Ana remained silent.

"You're upset."

Another thought occurred to her. "Why did Fury not invite _you_ to join the Avengers, Sigyn?"

"He did. I refused."

"Why?"

"Loki is doing everything he can to spite me. He wants me to make a choice between him and the Tesseract. I'm sworn to protect it with my life, but I'm also sworn to stand by my husband's side no matter what. I cannot fulfill one oath without breaking the other. You see, he's called the God of Mischief for a reason. If he decides to play a game with you, the only way to win is not to play at all."

"So, you're going to break both oaths?"

"Yes, and I will be banished from the Nine Realms for it. Odin made that very clear."

"Like I said, you should've just dumped Loki a millennium ago…"

"Probably."

An uneasy knot was formed in Ana's stomach. Did this mean the end of their lessons? She enjoyed them, and more importantly, the recent events proved that they might come handy one day. "I'm never going to see you again, aren't I?"

Sigyn smiled bravely. "We'll talk about that later."

* * *

When they returned to the mansion, Ana retreated to the workshop. JARVIS had hacked into the SHIELD mainframe on the Helicarrier, so he shared everything he had found with her. It was no surprise that SHIELD was using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction.

She had a feeling that this wasn't going to end well. When she called Pepper, she realized she, too, had the same feeling. She also told Pepper not to be scared if she realized she was being followed, that they were probably just Fury's agents. And Pepper told her not to go to the office, or leave the mansion at all until Loki was dealt with.

She called Rhodey, too. If there was going to be a team of superheroes, he was the only one she trusted to watch her dad's back. Unfortunately, his superiors kept Rhodey busy. He promised to help as soon as he finished his next mission in Hong Kong, though. That was some relief.

She spent the rest of the night studying Selvig's notes and the data her dad had sent her. She had used the radius of the damage zone at that secret research facility to calculate how far Loki must have traveled. And if she was right, Loki had come from_ billions_ of light-years away. If she didn't have the same tech that could do it—in theory, at least—that would be a terrifying thing to know. But her dad was right. The notes were useful.

The next day, she saw Selvig's research in action. Ana, Happy, and Sigyn were sitting in front of the TV in the living room as a portal opened in the sky above the Stark Tower and the Chitauri came through it. Sigyn was right; Loki was using everything he could to spite her.

Ana had her own personal protocol when her dad donned the suit. She would refuse to watch the news or get any updates from JARVIS until all was well. She wanted to do the same now, but couldn't bring herself to do it. How could she? This wasn't the Ten Rings, or some murderous psychopath who had built his own super-suit. This was an alien army attacking New York.

"I'm going to call Pepper." She just needed to hear the voice of the most mature and reasonable person in her life. But Pepper didn't answer.

She tried Rhodey next. At least he answered.

"Hey, sweetie."

"Rhodey! Do you know what's going on in New York?"

"Yeah, Tony called me a few minutes ago. I'm on my way now. Where are you?"

"Still in Malibu, with Happy and Sigyn."

"Good. Tony said those aliens are coming out of some kind of… portal?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know how to close it?"

"I—I don't know." Ana might have accidentally replicated the Tesseract's powers, but her invention had something the Tesseract didn't have: A simple switch. Without it, she had no idea how it could be shut down.

"Well, you work on that if you want to help."

"Stay safe, Rhodey."

"You, too."

She hung up, and looked at Sigyn. "Do you know how to close the portal?"

"The cube's powers are far beyond mine."

_But maybe not mine_, she thought, with hope. She had found a way to harness the raw energy from the element to reveal its true capabilities before the element had been created, after all.

"Where are you going?" Happy asked as she rushed downstairs.

"I'll try and find a way to close the portal."

"Okay, let me—"

"I want to do this alone. I'm sorry."

Happy was obviously a tad offended, but Ana tried to ignore that. By the time she entered the shop, everything she might need was already on the holotable.

"Thanks, JARVIS."

"You're welcome, Miss Stark. I've also taken the liberty of telling your father you'll be working on a solution. He believes in you. As do I."

She smiled. Her dad must have instructed JARVIS to give her a pep talk. Even in the midst of a battle, he remembered to comfort her.

"I don't even know where to start, J," she admitted. "Will you turn on the TV?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I have to see what's going on over there," she said, but went down to the cellar to grab a bottle of wine nevertheless. Getting drunk in the workshop was probably a bad idea, but she needed to relax in order to be able to think.

"Miss, I wouldn't advise that…"

"J, Dad's fighting aliens in New York! I'm allowed to have one coping mechanism!"

He made no comment, so Ana returned to the workshop and started working on a solution while sipping a glass of wine.

By the end of the third glass, she still had nothing. But she could now barely stand on her feet. Damn, she was such a lightweight…

"Miss Stark, your father wishes to speak with you."

"You shouldn't have told him I was drunk." She knew JARVIS didn't exactly have a choice, but still… He should have known that worrying about Ana would only be a distraction.

"I didn't," JARVIS said gravely, and only then it occurred to Ana to pay attention to the news again. The cameras were showing her dad carrying a missile on his back, flying towards the portal. Where had that missile come from?

JARVIS answered the video call on her behalf, and her dad's face popped up on the holotable.

"Hey, kid," her dad said cheerfully, but she knew him well enough to see how scared he was.

"Dad? _What_ are you doing?"

"Oh, boy… It's on the news, right?"

"Yes."

"Ana, listen to me. This is a nuclear missile, okay? There's only one place I can put it, so… Well, I hope it will work."

Ana was looking at the TV. He was approaching the portal fast. She had maybe 30 seconds to talk him out of this.

"Ana! Don't look at that. Look at me. I'm here. Just look at me."

She did, even though that meant she was going to see how badly she was crying. She had never been one of those girls who cried prettily. He didn't want him to see her like this, but she couldn't end the call and leave him all alone either.

"Good girl. It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay. As soon as I let this thing loose on whatever is on the other side, I'll turn around and come back."

"I'm sorry I didn't come to New York with you. I'm so sorry…"

"Are you kidding me? I'm very, very glad that you didn't get caught up in this mess. Speaking of, I've been calling Pepper, too, but she's not answering. So, if I don't make it back—"

"Don't say that!"

"If I don't come back, you girls take good care of each other."

"Dad, please… Don't go. Don't leave me."

"Ana, the whole city—"

"I don't care about the whole city! I care about you! I love you!"

He smiled. "I love you m—"

The call ended.

"JARVIS? Tell me you're still with him…"

"I'm sorry, miss. The connection is lost."

Ana was glad that she was drunk. It made it easier for her brain to process the emotions. It dulled them. She promised herself that if he survived this, she would never let herself feel this helpless again, ever. This could have been prevent if she had been braver. If, for example, she had worked harder, she could have perfected her teleportation technology. Then she could save her dad no matter where he went.

She silently begged for a miracle as she watched the portal close. A second later, her dad reappeared. He was falling, but the Hulk caught him.

Another death evaded. Ana grabbed the bottle and this time, didn't even bother to pour the drink into the glass.

Soon, Happy was dialing in the passcode. He found her sitting in the swivel chair, with an empty wine bottle in her hand.

"Ana?" he asked warily.

"It wasn't me. Someone else must have found a way to close the portal. Guess I'm not as smart as I think I am." Why did this matter right now, she didn't know. She should just be grateful that the fight was over and her dad was alive. It shouldn't matter whose genius it was that had saved them all. But it did. From now on, she couldn't take any chances. She couldn't rely on miracles.

She was going to keep the promise she had just made to herself. She was going to do more.

"Anyway, Sigyn says she can take us to New York now. Come on."

She followed Happy upstairs, then outside to the landing pad, where Sigyn's ship was. Air traffic must have gone haywire by now, but it wasn't going to be a problem for them. They would probably be in New York before Pepper could.

* * *

They were making their way among the broken glass shards, wrecked cars, damaged buildings, and dead Chitauri soldiers. It was hard to believe this was Manhattan. Judging by the _"I don't get paid enough for this shit"_ look on his face, Happy was still struggling to believe that aliens had attacked New York and he had got a ride on a spaceship. Sigyn was fuming. Ana wondered what she was going to do when she saw her husband.

The lobby of the Stark Tower was crowded. She saw her dad, arguing with a guy. She had never met him before, but she knew who he was: Alexander Pierce. A bunch of SHIELD agents were trying to take the case in her dad's hand. Forcefully. Other than that, he looked okay. Thor was with him.

"What the hell?" Happy muttered angrily. "Sir, what's going on here?"

"Whatever you do, don't let anyone know I'm to leave Midgard for good," Sigyn whispered into Ana's ear.

"Got it."

Everyone's attention had shifted to the newcomers when Happy had gone to Tony Stark's aid. But he had let go of the case when he had seen Ana. He was now coming to her.

"Hey, Dad," Ana said coolly. She knew better than embarrassing him in front of government agents and other superheroes by acting sentimental.

But he didn't seem to care about that, for he pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry I scared you like that."

"It's okay. You were scared, too."

"I was."

"The Tesseract belongs to Odin!" Thor's voice boomed in the lobby, and they turned to see what was happening.

"I told you, it's been a SHIELD property for more than 70 years!" Pierce said, with the typical confidence and entitlement of a big wig. Seriously, an alien invasion had just been averted, and they were discussing "property"? Ana was disappointed, to say the least, and she knew this was just the beginning. People were often afraid of change, even when it was for their own good. When she looked at her dad, she saw that he was having the same thoughts.

"Only because I allowed it to be," Sigyn broke in, with an entitlement that matched Pierce's. Sigyn wasn't Thor. She understood how the red-tape worked. Ana was eager to see how she was going to handle the situation. In fact, this could be another valuable lesson.

Pierce frowned. "And you are…"

"Lady Sigyn Tyrsdottir of Asgard, also known as Sharon Tyler. The sworn guardian of the Tesseract, first Consultant to SHIELD, and an Alpha member with a Clearance Level 10." She flashed a badge to prove her claim. Thor grinned proudly.

"Clearance Level 10? That's Director level. You're not even an agent."

"Director Stark made an exception for me. In 1974."

"Well, I haven't heard of you before."

"Because I didn't want you to. I work exclusively with the human Director of SHIELD."

"I'm going to have to call Director Fury and ask him to confirm that."

She replied rather sweetly, "Of course. Still, I believe we can resolve this conflict among ourselves. After all, your reputation for diplomacy precedes you, Secretary Pierce. It's an honor for me to finally meet you in person."

Was this Sigyn's strategy? Flattery? No, it couldn't be so simple.

She extended her hand, and when Pierce took it, she pulled him closer and whispered something in his ear. Whatever it was, it seemed to have shaken Pierce, and left a bad taste in Sigyn's mouth. He let her take the case afterwards. Sigyn took it, and passed it to Thor. Pierce and his company walked out of the building without a word. This was weird. Men like Pierce weren't shaken easily. Right now, one might even believe he had seen a ghost.

"What did you tell him?" Ana asked Sigyn.

"I've been a spy here for 60 years, Ana. I have dirt on everybody."

_Yeah, but what kind of dirt_, Ana was going to ask, but then, the Hulk made an entrance, and scaring a lot of people

"NO STAIRS!"

"Is he alright?" she asked her dad.

"Yeah, he's cool. Just make sure you keep your distance when he's angry."

"Noted."

Thor went to calm him down. After some bellowing and punching, Bruce Banner returned to his human form, and was given a short and a pair of new pants. In the meantime, Agents Romanoff and Barton, and Captain America joined them. For some reason, they were all planning to eat shawarma.

"Where's Dr. Selvig?" Ana asked.

"I took him to the infirmary," Romanoff said.

"Are you not coming?" her dad asked when Ana headed for the elevator. Even though she had been here for only about fifteen minutes, she had realized that he actually liked showing her off to the other Avengers. Maybe he was simply proud of the daughter he had raised, or maybe he wanted the others to understand how much he had to lose, and yet he had still chosen to be Iron Man. There were no shortage of people who still doubted Tony Stark's heroism. Either way, Ana was glad if her presence helped. She just didn't want to be around Romanoff. Oh, and she couldn't wait to question Dr. Selvig, too.

"I'm not hungry," she replied apologetically. Which wasn't even a lie. With so many things on her mind, food was the least of her concerns.

He glanced towards Romanoff and cocked an eyebrow. Ana shrugged.

He laughed. "You _are_ vindictive, kid."

"Go," she urged him. "We'll talk more when you return."

Ana went into the elevator, and smiled at her dad one more time before the door slid close.


	25. Chapter 25

Shawarma was the perfect comfort food after saving the world from an alien invasion.

No one was talking. Not only because they were physically exhausted, but also because this was their first chance to sit down and process the events of the last three days since Loki had appeared. Of course, Tony had the advantage of a head start; he was the first human on the team who had met an alien before. But even that hadn't been enough to prepare him for what he had seen in that wormhole.

"Tony!"

He jumped when he heard Pepper's voice. She was here, standing in the doorway, with Rhodey beside her. They ran to each other's arms. The whole world had just changed for good, but she was still the same perfect woman he remembered. She was his anchor, his rock, especially now more than ever.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry I didn't answer the phone. And I should've been here sooner, but the air traffic was crazy and I—"

"Shh. It's okay."

"Is it?"

Tony just kissed her in response. Then, still holding Pepper in his arms he turned to Rhodey. "Sorry, buddy. You missed all the fun."

He sighed heavily. He had known about the Avengers Initiative, but he still had a _"What the hell did you get yourself into?" _look on his face as he studied those who were sitting at the table. "God, what a mess…"

"Oh, have you met my new friends? You already know Agent Romanoff. The other agent is Clint Barton. Dr. Bruce Banner, we're definitely hiring him, by the way. This one is Thor, and last, but not the least, Captain Steve Rogers."

Romanoff, Barton, and Rogers gave respectful nods. Thor waved his hand cheerfully while still stuffing his mouth. Banner flashed a timid smile.

Cap stood up. "We should all get back to the tower. This isn't over. Banner, Stark, you help Dr. Selvig build the device that would teleport Thor and Loki back to Asgard. The rest of us should keep an eye on Loki."

They had locked Loki in the bunker beneath the tower.

"My brother no longer poses a threat to Midgard."

"That might be so. But there're many people who want to get their hands on him right now."

It was hard for Tony to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Cap was still treating everyone as soldiers. Nevertheless, he led the way back to the tower, with Pepper. He was too tired to pick another fight.

Damage Control was already here. Tony couldn't help but think he would do a better job than SHIELD at containing this stuff. Besides, who would trust Fury not to mess with these things after what they had discovered on the helicarrier? Maybe it was time to take reigns.

Sigyn was waiting for them in the lobby. She shook Pepper's hand first, then Rhodey's. "You must be Ms. Potts and Colonel Rhodes. I wish we didn't have to meet under such unfortunate circumstances."

Pepper smiled. Tony was afraid that he would see some signs of jealousy—Barbie Thor was smoking hot, that was a fact—but there were none. "Thanks for watching over Ana."

"We could've used your help here," Cap said sharply.

_Yeah, because screw my daughter's safety, right?_ What was the matter with him? They had done just fine without a second Asgardian on the team.

He continued, "Or, during the war, back in my day. I wish Odin hadn't waited until it was over."

Watching Sigyn realize Steve Rogers was more of a cranky old man than the perfect soldier she had imagined gave Tony a strange satisfaction. He had liked working with him today, true, but some wounds never fully healed.

"Odin believed humans must advance through adversary. That intervening in your affairs would stall your progress. And perhaps he was right. If we'd stopped the war, you wouldn't have become Captain America. As for today… I had to make a difficult choice, and I will suffer the consequences. I will be banished from the Nine Realms for refusing to fight against my husband."

"Sigyn, if I talk to Father, maybe you won't have to be banished from the Nine Realms. Maybe he'll let you stay here," Thor said.

"That would be a reward, not a punishment. Your father knows that. But I was going to ask for your permission to go to Washington DC before leaving the Nine Realms for good."

"Of course. You deserve to bid Peggy farewell."

"Peggy?" Cap gasped. "Peggy Carter?"

Sigyn frowned. "She's alive. I thought Fury told you?"

"I read the files. I know she's alive. I just didn't know she was so… close. I thought she was in London."

"Oh, right… We put her old address in the files. It's a safety precaution. She's in a nursing home in DC. Would you like to come with me? We can visit her together."

The great Captain America looked like he was almost going to cry. He had been caught totally off-guard. "I—I don't know."

Well, normally, he would love to watch Captain America get sappy and all, but he had flown into a wormhole, carrying a nuclear missile on his back, so right now, all he wanted was to relax in private, with his girlfriend, daughter, and best friend. Besides, when they had hugged, Tony had definitely smelled wine on Ana. It was okay to unwind every once in a while, but if it became a habit… Yeah, that was a red flag. He wanted to talk to her about it.

Working with Selvig could wait until tomorrow. The teleportation device he would design for the Tesseract would be similar to Ana's tech anyway. Needless to say, the others didn't have to know that.

"I'll see you guys later," he said, took Rhodey and Pepper, and got into the elevator.

JARVIS said Ana was in the penthouse, so they went there, and found her examining a Chitauri gun, while Happy was telling her to be careful with it.

She put the weapon down carefully. "Maybe we can dismantle it and hide the parts before SHIELD takes it away."

Pepper gasped. "Why do you want to do such a thing?"

"Because I'm a scientist."

"You don't have to worry about that," Tony said.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm going to purchase Damage Control."

Everyone in the room looked at him, taken aback.

"This alien tech is dangerous," Tony explained. "And the only tech I trust to keep it from falling into the wrong hands is my own."

For some reason, Ana seemed much more happy to hear than he had expected her to be.

* * *

Tony couldn't sleep. He should be able to sleep; he was exhausted. Both physically and mentally. But instead, he had been tossing and turning in the bed for three hours. He looked at Pepper, who was fast asleep. If he kept going like this, he was going to wake her up, and then she was going to spend the rest of the night trying to comfort him. He didn't want to do that to her. She needed her rest.

He slipped out of the bed carefully, and set off to his private lab. He didn't know what he was going to do, he just wanted to go there.

"Miss, I have to warn you," JARVIS was saying. "The core is highly volatile."

Ana was here, too. And she was experimenting with a glowing purple ball. She didn't even hear him enter.

"Did you get that thing from a Chitauri weapon?"

She sighed. "Busted…"

"Yep. You know, this is the second time you stole something."

"So what? Are you going to ground me? I know the consequences of my actions. I've decided to take a calculated risk. I'm not a thief. Or an alcoholic."

"I never said you were. I'm just worried about you. I told you I'd purchase Damage Control. Just wait for a couple of days, and then we can_ legally_ play with this stuff. Unless, of course, you're working on a secret project…"

"I'm not hiding anything from you, Dad. But what if you can't purchase Damage Control? We can't take any chances. We've already lost the Scepter to SHIELD. And the Tesseract to Asgard."

"Let the cube be their problem. It's caused our world more than enough trouble."

"Without it, I'm never going to be able to discover the connection between the Tesseract and the Scepter."

"What connection?"

"I spoke to Selvig. He said he used the Scepter to turn off the Tesseract."

"How?"

"That's the problem. He doesn't know. Says the Scepter 'told' him that the Tesseract cannot fight against itself."

"Banner thinks the Tesseract powers the Scepter. They have similar energy readings."

"They both emit a low level of gamma radiation, I know. But if Banner were right, the Scepter couldn't have been used to close the portal. On the contrary, it would've amplified the energy."

_Good point_. He was intrigued. "What's your theory?"

She looked at the Arc Reactor on his chest.

"What?"

"JARVIS told me Loki wanted to use the Scepter on you. But it didn't work."

"You think the Arc Reactor protected me?"

"Not the Arc Reactor. The element. It was based on the Tesseract, right? I bet an Arc Reactor with a palladium core couldn't have done that. But we can't test that theory, because SHIELD took the Scepter to who knows where!"

"Even if you're right, what does that mean? Mind control prevention?" That would be quite useful, actually. Maybe another big invention of hers was on the way.

"I don't know, I'm not a neuroscientist. I just feel like this is important for some reason. Call it a hunch."

"Well, I'm a Consultant for SHIELD. I'll see if Fury lets us get our hands on the Scepter. Can't make any promises, though. What about the Chitauri piece?"

"There's nothing tricky about it. It's just a stress ball, really. Want to take a look? You look like you could use a stress ball."

"Actually, sir, that 'stress ball' is an energy core that will become highly explosive when exposed to radiation," JARVIS reminded. "I am not certain if there are other triggering factors."

Tony pulled a chair to sit down, and gestured her to do the same. She did. "I think I just want to talk."

"About what you did today?"

"Yeah. I tried not to think too much while doing it, but now that I look back, it's terrifying. One second, I was here in New York, where I was born and raised. Then I was in an uncharted part of space. I can't even imagine how it must have been like for you. I'm sorry, kid."

"What did you see when you were in there?"

"The rest of Loki's army. We were outmatched, Ana. I don't think we would've been able to stop them without that missile."

Perhaps he shouldn't have said that. He didn't want to frighten her. But he really needed to chat with another genius, and she was the one he trusted the most. And she looked like she was expecting to hear this. "I understand, Dad. I don't blame you. Someone had to put a nuke into that portal. I wish it hadn't been you, but I don't know who else could've done it either."

"Maybe it's just too much, even for me."

"Dad, it's okay to be overwhelmed sometimes. If you want to be scared, be scared. If you want to freak out, freak out. Just allow yourself to be human for a while. You've earned it."

"Wow, you're suddenly so… wise."

"You mean, I wasn't wise before?"

"Not really."

She laughed, then became serious again. "The world has changed forever, Dad. I have to be wise. We both do. If we're to shape the new world, we can't let the old one and its rules stand in our way."

Tony got up and crossed to her work station to examine the Chitauri energy core more closely. "I feel like we're the only ones who understand what this change really means. Do you feel the same way?"

"Absolutely."

"Are you scared?"

She came to lean against him. "No. I think you and I can handle aliens."

He smiled. Ana was... different. She was more focused now, like she had finally found her true purpose in life. Funny how her mind worked like computer programs. They, too, were purpose-oriented. No wonder JARVIS was the perfect brother for her.

* * *

Two days later, Selvig's device was ready. They met at Central Park. Loki was still chained and muzzled. Sigyn wasn't even looking at him. When Thor activated the mechanism, everyone else took a step back.

After the other two Asgardians were gone, Sigyn approached Tony. "I never thought my duty on Earth would end like this."

"Where will you go now?"

"Wherever fate takes me."

"Thank you," Tony blurted out. Sigyn might have more secrets than Fury did, but she was the one who had given him the greatest gift he had ever received. And he had never thanked her for that. This was his last chance. "For making me a father… That came out wrong, didn't it?"

She chuckled softly. "You have a beautiful family, Tony. Take good care of them. Especially Ana. I fear for her."

"Why?"

"Because every time I look at her, I see Howard. His dark side, at least. It consumed him. I don't mean to scare you, but—"

"No, I'm glad you warned me."

"Oh, and can you give this to her?" She took out some kind of golden pendant from her bag and gave it to Tony. "She can use it to communicate with me."

He examined the circular pendant. It was made of two identical pieces, with a small red gem in the center. There were runes carved on the edges. "How?"

"Just hold it in your palm and think of me. And for the love of the Norns, do _not_ dismantle it. You humans don't have the technology to put it back together."

Tony couldn't help but smile. She knew the Starks too well. "Okay."

"Goodbye, Tony." Much to his embarrassment, she pulled her into a hug.

"Yeah, goodbye, Auntie," he scoffed, reluctantly patting on her back.

After she released him and got into her car, Steve came to shake his hand. Tony hated that amused smile on his face.

"I'm glad Howard and Peggy had a loyal friend like her."

"Are you going to DC with her?"

"I am."

He wondered how much he knew about his ex-girlfriend's condition, and decided not to be the one to break it to him. "Good luck, Cap."

"Thank you."

He hopped on his bike, and soon disappeared out of sight, following Sigyn's car. Tony got into his Acura. Dr. Banner was already waiting for him in the passenger seat.

"I'm sorry," he started. "Agent Romanoff said that Asgardian woman was an old family friend of yours. This must be hard."

"Not really. I didn't even know she existed until two years ago."

"Oh."

"Yeah… So, how does it feel like to be a free man again?" Fury had made some arrangement to lift his fugitive status.

Banner smiled. "It feels good."


	26. Chapter 26

Once the reconstruction of the "Avengers Tower" began, Ana returned to Malibu with her dad and Pepper, and life returned to its normal course. They said the Battle of New York had changed the world forever, but she didn't think it had changed as much as it should.

And if Ana wanted to change the world, first she had to change herself.

Every morning, she and Pepper left the mansion—Pepper had officially moved in—for work as usual. But she worked harder now. She started observing Pepper more carefully, to learn the subtleties of corporate politics, while trying not to neglect the R&D department, which was her main responsibility, at the same time. One of the things she had learned from Sigyn was that after war, economy was the second common language spoken across the universe. Being one of the leading companies on Earth would not be enough in the future. Stark Industries had to become one of the leading companies in the galaxy.

The evenings were for relaxation, self-care, and family time. Ana knew she couldn't function properly if she didn't give her body and mind the rest they deserved. The employees and the press would want to know what was wrong with her if she started to look like a mess. Besides, what was the point of doing all these if she didn't spend enough time with the people she fought for in the first place?

Weekends and holidays were for her personal projects and the lessons with Sigyn. Her ship had been sucked into a wormhole and she had ended up on a planet named Sakaar. Sigyn didn't want to talk much about it. She had simply said the first few days had been "humiliating," but then she had befriended with "another victim of Asgard" and was now luckier than most of those who ended up here.

Before Sigyn had left Earth, Ana had asked her to remove the spell on Irene Clarke's parents. She wanted them to remember. She wanted them to know what they had lost, and that they had spent the past 20 years being punished for their greed. Sigyn had been hesitant at first, because if Ana regretted it later, she couldn't return to Earth to cast the spell again. But Ana had convinced her in the end. Closure was another thing she needed if she wanted to function properly.

So, she wasn't surprised at all when Ms. Arbogast came into her office one afternoon and said two people who wanted to see her: Charlie and Alice Clarke.

Ana told Arbogast to let them in, and a second later, the couple was standing awkwardly before her. They seemed quite healthy for their age. They had done their best to look as rich and respectable as possible, like the maternal grandparents the Stark heiress deserved. The effort was just ridiculously obvious. She leaned back in the swivel chair, and studied them for a while, to see if she had inherited anything from these repulsive people.

"Hello, Ana," Charlie started.

"It's Ms. Stark," she corrected him sharply.

"Look, I know you don't remember us—"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I know who you are. I know exactly why you are here. In fact, I've been expecting you."

They looked at each other in confusion. Then Alice asked, "Does that mean you have answers?"

"I do. But first, I want to hear you ask the question."

It was entertaining to watch how uncomfortable the demand made them, how they squirmed. Ana didn't rush them at all. She was just savoring the scene. It was pure cruelty, and she loved it. For the last several years, she had been through so much that it felt nice to be on the giving end of cruelty for a change.

"Two weeks ago, something happened," said Alice. "Something inexplicable. Memories of our beloved daughter came back to us. Painful memories."

Ana snorted. "Beloved daughter? You mean, the one you talked out of abortion when you found out she was pregnant with Tony Stark's child? The one you forced to give birth while she was fighting breast cancer, just because you were hoping to use the baby to get rich? Is that the daughter we're talking about? The daughter who would change her mind after the birth and want to send the baby to an orphanage? The daughter who was no better than you?"

Gosh, their faces were priceless…

"I don't know what you were told—"

She raised a hand to silence Charlie. "I was told _the truth_. The truth that you were hoping to milk money from my father. You were hoping he would be lonely and confused, easy to manipulate, surrounded by false friends. You were wrong. He wasn't alone. An old family friend of ours used an extremely sophisticated piece of technology to wipe your minds, so that you'd never come after me."

"This is madness!"

"Two weeks ago, aliens attacked New York. That was madness, too. But it was also 100% real."

"You should be grateful to us! We're the reason Irene didn't kill you before you were even born! And now, we've come all this way from London—"

"You're only here because I wanted you to be here. I was the one who asked that family friend to give you your memories back. I want you to know what you lost. I want you to know that I was never meant to be a trap for my father. I'm his daughter. His family, his best friend, and his biggest supporter. No one can ever take that from me."

"We only wanted what was best for you. The Tony Stark we knew back then was incapable of raising a child."

"Oh, come now. You two are as disgusting as I imagined. You didn't come all this way to meet your granddaughter. You came to see what you can get from me. And now that you realize you won't get shit, you're angry. So predictable, it's pathetic."

"Enough! You messed with our heads, you stole 20 years from us! You're going to pay for that! You and your father!"

"Just curious, what exactly are you going to do?"

"We're going to tell the press everything. It's going to be a scandal."

"Look around you. Do you really think it's a good idea to start a war with us? If you think I can't buy the press, go ahead, do it. Maybe you'll even spend the rest of your days in a nuthouse. I can make that happen, you know."

"Where's Tony? We'd like to speak with him as well."

"He's Iron Man. He doesn't have time for scum like you. And if I ever see you anywhere near him, I'll make you regret it. We're done here. Get out before I call the security."

Her dad hadn't been the same since New York. Something was just… off. She didn't want him to start fretting about her mental stability again as well. So, the last part was a bluff, of course. Happy was now the Head of Security, and if he found out the Clarkes were here, both her dad and Pepper would hear about it. Thankfully, the Clarkes scurried out of the office without making a scene.

This confrontation had gone exactly as Ana had wanted. Then why wasn't she feeling as satisfied as she had thought she would be?

* * *

Sleep didn't come easy that night. It wasn't guilty conscience, no. On the contrary, Ana felt like she hadn't punished the Clarkes hard enough. She managed to get one or two hours of sleep, but woke up at 5 in the morning. She gave up, and decided to go down to the shop instead.

"Miss Stark, your father is down in the workshop as well," JARVIS warned her.

"Did he wake up early, too?" Ana asked, surprised.

"He has been awake for the past 28 hours. I am afraid he has been suffering from insomnia since you returned from New York."

So, this was what had been going on with him. "And he wanted _you_ to tell me this?"

"Not really. But I am telling you anyway. I'm worried about him."

It was a figure of speech, of course. JARVIS couldn't really be _worried_ about him. He couldn't be worried about anyone or anything. Maybe, given his self-destructive tendencies, her dad had programmed JARVIS to take the liberty of seeking help when he needed it. "Okay. I'll see what I can do."

She took her private elevator to the basement. He had had that elevator built for her when she was a kid, to make sure she could avoid the women he brought home when she came down to visit him in the shop in the mornings. She no longer needed it for that purpose, but it was a good way to sneak up on him while he was working. Indeed, she found him coming up from the wine cellar when the elevator door slid open.

"Oh, hey, kid," he greeted her nonchalantly. "You're up early."

"Yeah, couldn't sleep much… What were you doing down there?"

"Uhm, nothing. Just inventory."

"Inventory? At this hour?"

"Yeah, well—"

"Dad, I know you're suffering from insomnia. Please just let me help you."

"It's not easy to keep secrets from a genius, is it? Come on, let me show you."

Ana tried to ignore the insinuation in his question as they made for the cellar. Maybe she was just imagining it… Hopefully.

There was nothing unusual in the cellar. Just the wine racks and the fridges. But then, he pressed a button, and a circular panel on the floor opened up, revealing some kind of vault below. Ana didn't even know it was there, but it seemed very, very deep. A few seconds later, a suit emerged to the surface.

"What's this?"

"This is Mark VIII. I wanted to see how many weapons I could cram into one single suit."

"Cool," she said half-heartedly, wondering why he needed such a big vault for his armors. How many more was he planning to build?

"Not cool enough, though. Remember how handy the Colantotte bracelets came in when Loki threw me out of the window?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm working on a more effective version of them now. Subdermal implants. The suits should be able to find me, no matter where I am."

"Okay…" These were upgrades that might indeed save his life one day. The problem was that he sounded like he was under the pressure of an immediate deadline while talking about them.

"What?" he asked.

"What?"

"This is the face you make when you don't like what I'm up to."

"I like your ideas. But if you're suffering from PTSD, recovery should be your priority. The suits can wait."

"You're right, honey. But I _can't_ sleep. I can't sleep, no matter how hard I try. I might as well use that time to be productive."

Ana came up with an idea. "Have you tried chamomile tea?"

"I don't have any chamomile."

"I do. Come on, let's go to my room."

He seemed reluctant, but he didn't protest either. Ana took him to her kitchen and started boiling water for the tea.

"Now that I told you my secret, are you going to tell me yours?"

_Shit_. "What are you talking about?"

"You're still a terrible liar."

Ana gave in. He obviously knew. "How did you find out?"

"Happy recognized their names on the visitor list."

Right, the visitor list… She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of that. "Happy takes his job too seriously."

"That he does. What did the Clarkes want from you?"

Ana told him everything. That she had asked Sigyn to remove the spell, and been expecting them for a while. She told him how she had taunted them and enjoyed it at first, but now she was feeling hollow.

"Yeah, that's what revenge does to you," he said.

Ana brought him the chamomile tea. "But when you told me how you killed those terrorists in the cave… You said it felt good."

"It felt good, because unlike you, I let them go afterwards. Yeah, those bastards kidnapped me, threatened me, tortured me, but in the end, they paid the ultimate price. I can't ask for more."

"Are you saying I should've killed the Clarkes?"

"Geez, no! I'm saying not everyone can be fixed. You gotta know when to stop trying to teach them a lesson."

"I know what you mean. The thing is, embracing my asexuality changed me. It made me more… forgiving. Sometimes people aren't capable of things, and that's okay. I get that now. I can forgive Irene and her parents for not loving me. Hell, I'm not exactly the motherly type myself either. But planning to use me against _you_? To come in between us? That I can't forgive."

"Do you honestly think I'd let anyone come in between us?"

"No," she admitted.

"See? You gotta let them go, kid."

"You can't let New York go, though, can you?"

His hands started to shake when he heard "New York." He put the mug down. "That's different. I got a feeling that New York is just the beginning of the story. Not the end. Loki was working with someone. I know you're going to say I'm being paranoid, but—"

"I don't think you're being paranoid."

At that moment, he seemed relieved. Relieved that he wasn't alone. Though the fear in his eyes remained. "Did Sigyn tell you something?"

"No. But I don't need her lectures to know that armies and dangerous artifacts can't be found just lying around in space. Someone gave them to Loki. And they were expecting something from him in return."

"And I destroyed that someone's army, so even if it wasn't personal before, it is now."

"I don't want to scare you, but yeah."

"Do you see now why I need more suits?"

"No offense, Dad, but that's not going to be enough."

"What's _your_ plan?"

"My plan is to finish what Grandpa Stark started. To make Earth itself a force to be reckoned with. Your dad dedicated his life to understanding the rules of the game. We are going to play the game." Ana still wasn't a big fan of her grandfather, but she had to acknowledge what a visionary he was.

"How?"

"It's not too complicated. Everywhere in the universe, you need two things for power: Wealth, and technology. Luckily, we're good at both. First, we have to make sure our wealth is recognized by the others."

"How?"

"Well, Sigyn once told me precious metals like platinum, gold, and silver are acceptable, but the most common currency is the unit. I'm hoping we can make it recognized as a foreign currency on Earth, then make investments, and start doıng business with aliens. There're several civilizations we can work with."

"And technology?"

"That part is a bit tricky. Our nature is weak, Dad. The main reason Asgardians are so advanced is because each individual lives thousands of years. We humans are lucky if we live to be 80. With each generation, we move one step backwards. It hinders our progress."

"So, prolonging human life? That's your solution?"

"It's not our area of expertise. We must find another way. I'm still working on it."

"Our whole design is a failure. We need so much, for such a short lifespan. Oxygen, food, rest, shelter, tools… No wonder people worshiped aliens as gods."

"Maybe that's why your brain refuses to sleep. You're trying to eliminate at least one need."

"Maybe."

"But you're not eliminating it, Dad. You're just ignoring it. And fighting against your nature is what will keep you from being actually productive."

"Yeah, tell that to my subconscious," he said with a sad smile.

Ana felt sorry for her dad. His mind, his greatest weapon was betraying him. What could a genius do about that? But she gave him an understanding smile. "We'll figure it out. We always do."

"I know."

She checked the time on the glass panels. It was past 6 AM now. "Well, time for me to get ready for work."

"Okay."

She got on her feet, and made for the bedroom to get dressed. But she froze on the spot when he said, "Ana?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't become my dad." He was almost begging.

"What?"

"Don't become like him. Don't become too obsessed with this notion of making Earth a part of a bigger universe."

She chuckled nervously. This made no sense. "Okay, where did this come from?"

"Sigyn told me something. She said you have his… darkness."

"And now you're scared that I'll become an asshole like him?"

"I can't protect you from yourself."

"Sigyn is just too desperate to get her old friends back. Sometimes she gets delusional."

"Probably," he agreed, but she could still feel his concerned gaze on herself as she entered the bedroom and closed the door. She decided to wear a pair of black dress pants, a white shirt, and a black blazer for today. After brushing her hair and putting on some make-up—it helped her look older, and therefore, be taken more seriously—she studied herself in the mirror for a moment, to see if she indeed looked like the female version of Howard Stark. Funny, a few years ago, the comparison would be flattering. Now it was an insult.

By the time she returned to the kitchen, her dad was making coffee. She shook her head disapprovingly. "That's not going to help you sleep."

He shrugged. "Neither is chamomile tea."

"Sigyn was wrong about me," she blurted out. "I'll never be like your dad. From a certain point of view, he was a legend, yeah. He could've been even greater. But he made too many mistakes. I won't repeat them. I won't put my faith in the wrong people. And I will never be afraid to show how much I love you." To prove her point, she went to give him a big hug.

He sighed thoughtfully.

She pulled herself back to be able to look at him in the eye. "I gotta go now, but _please_ just try to get some sleep. For me."

"I'll do my best. Oh, and before you leave…" He took out two bottles of smoothie from the fridge.

"What are those?"

"Breakfast-on-the-go, of course! Berry smoothies. This one's for you, and this one's for Pepper, no strawberries." He gave her the blue bottle first, then the purple one.

Right, Ana had completely forgotten about breakfast this morning. "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome."

"I better not keep Pepper waiting," she said, put a kiss on his cheek, grabbed her purse, and went downstairs. Indeed, Pepper was waiting for her in the living room.

"You and Tony weren't in the garage this morning."

"Yeah, he wanted to make us breakfast," Ana lied, and handed her the purple bottle. They got out of the house. Happy was waiting for them outside at usual. Ana wondered how long she was going to have to keep this new secret from them. Her dad had said he hadn't taught her how to lie, but he actually had. And she wasn't too bad at it.


	27. Chapter 27

Eight months after New York, and Tony was still on a tinkering binge. Every night, after Pepper fell asleep, he came down to the shop. His brain was overloaded with ideas. He had never needed much sleep, he kept reminding himself. But after the Mark XLII test ended with him being sent flying onto the floor and the suit getting smashed to pieces, he had to admit that 72 hours was a long time between siestas.

He decided to turn on the news to distract himself. Watching boring news always made him drowsy. Unfortunately, the news was far from boring tonight.

The Mandarin, the mysterious leader of the Ten Rings had finally revealed himself to the world. He had attacked the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait 39 hours ago. Tony knew this wasn't his problem anymore. The government had their War Machine—no, it was Iron Patriot now. Whatever. But he didn't think he could just sit this one out.

The next thing he knew, he found himself standing in a dark, ugly room full of Chitauri soldiers. They had gathered around some kind of altar. Tony heard the piercing cries of a baby. He went to take a look. Indeed, there was a newborn baby on the altar. The aliens were poking the poor thing with needles.

Ana.

"Hey, that's my daughter! Don't you dare touch my daughter!" He tried to push past the Chitauri, but he couldn't. He was only a ghost here. He couldn't even touch them. And they couldn't see or hear him.

Except for one. Loki, who was watching the Chitauri experiment on Ana from his throne. He grinned maliciously. "You're at my mercy, Stark. You always have been. I could've taken her from you years ago, and you'd never know."

He knew it was Loki who had told Sigyn that Howard Stark had a grandkid. According to Sigyn, Loki had grown to care about Ana back then. Not because she was an innocent human baby or anything, obviously, but because he had seen her as a tool to mend his wife's broken heart.

When he opened his eyes, he was back on the couch in the workshop. Ana was crouching beside him.

"Dad?"

He rubbed his eyes. "Ugh, hey."

"Bad dream?"

He nodded. He had nothing to hide from her at this point.

"What happened to your face this time?" she asked, examining the bruises.

"Just another lab accident."

She smiled sweetly. "On the bright side, you managed to get five hours of sleep. That's progress."

"I suppose it is… Where's Pepper?"

"At work."

"It's Saturday," he recalled.

"She wants to wrap some things up before the Christmas holiday starts. She told me you had a date tonight?"

"Yep."

"Are you going to tell her about your PTSD? Because she knows something isn't right."

"I probably should."

"Yeah, you should. I'm doing whatever I can to help you, but I'm not enough."

He sat up on the couch, so that she could sit next to him. When she did, he said, "No! You're amazing. I'm building tin cans, but you… You came up with a brilliant strategy. I actually feel safer when you're around."

She laughed.

"I'm serious!" It was true. She seemed to know what she was doing. Unlike him.

"Okay, I'm flattered, but don't sell yourself short, Dad. This is compartmentalization. You're Iron Man. And I'm… Well, I'm not really sure what I am. But I know what I'm not. I'm not a superhero. I can never fly in one of those suits."

"I find that hard to believe. If you really want to overcome your fear of heights, you can."

"What if I don't want to? What if I'm just a coward?"

"You're not."

"Are you trying to make me Iron Girl or something?"

"No. I just want you to be able to handle yourself in case of an emergency. For which, you don't even have to _physically_ be in the suit anymore. Want to try out the new headset?"

"Compartmentalization, Dad," she reminded softly. "It's more effective."

Ana had always had a mechanical mind, but after New York, she had almost turned into a robot. Every detail in her life was planned beforehand, and she never strayed from her schedule. Saturdays and Sunday mornings, for example, were dedicated to her personal projects. It also hadn't escaped his notice that she was using the Christmas break to take better care of him. He was a lucky man.

"Speaking of, what are you working on these days?" Her attempts to make the unit recognized as a foreign currency on Earth hadn't gone well. She had had meetings with the Federal Reserve, President Ellis himself, IMF, and even the United Nations. Most governments and economists had scoffed at the suggestion. The world wasn't ready for it.

"Sigyn taught me about the principles of intergalactic coordinates and Jump Points. I'm planning to integrate my teleportation tech into the Universal Neural Teleportation Network. But first, I need it to be 100% reliable on Earth."

"That definitely sounds more exciting than remotely controlled Iron Man suits…"

"Don't get too hopeful, this is a long-term project. But I gotta start from somewhere. Logistics is one of the main obstacles in our way to make business connections with aliens."

"Maybe I can—"

"Dad…"

"Right, compartmentalization."

She got to work, and Tony went upstairs to take a shower. Then he returned to the shop. He wasn't done with Mark XLII yet.

When Ana saw the newest suit, she gave a sharp look, but made no comment. Instead, she said, "JARVIS told me you were worried about the Mandarin."

"Are you not?"

"Rhodey can deal with him."

"I can't just ignore it, kid."

"I thought you'd let go of the Ten Rings?"

"You're using my lines against me. That's not fair."

"No? Because everything I know, I learned from you."

Tony gave in. It was impossible to keep bantering with her while she was being so sweet. "Okay. You won."

"Sir, you have a lunch appointment with Colonel Rhodes in fifteen minutes," JARVIS reminded.

"Thanks, J. Ana, want to tag along?"

"Are you guys going to talk about the Mandarin?"

"I hope so."

"Then I'm coming," she said, much to his surprise. In the meantime, JARVIS had readied Mark VII for him.

Ana laughed. "Is the mighty Iron Man too good for cars now?"

"I just want to be prepared for anything. Tell you what, why don't you pick a suit? Let's race to the diner!"

"Dad, pretending like my acrophobia doesn't exist won't make it go away."

"In that case, I'll see you there," he replied, and donned the suit.

* * *

The main reason Tony wanted to meet Rhodey today was because he wanted to talk about the Mandarin. Luckily, he didn't have to try too hard to brought up the topic, because the Mandarin and the Iron Patriot were all over the news, and the TV in Neptune's Net was on.

"It tested well with focus groups, alright?" Rhodey defended his new superhero name.

"_I am Iron Patriot_," Tony mocked him. Ana chortled. "See? Even she thinks it's funny."

"_Even_ me? Wow…"

"Yeah, because you take everything too seriously. That's a fact."

"Listen. 'War Machine' was a bit too aggressive, alright? This sends a better message."

"What about this new military contractor?" Ana asked. "Advanced Idea Mechanics? And its CEO, Aldrich Killian?" As usual, she looked like she had done her homework.

"What about him, sweetie?"

"I just want to make sure he's not another Justin Hammer."

"No, no. You got nothing to worry about."

"So, what's really going on?" Tony asked. "With Mandarin? Seriously, can we talk about this guy?"

"It's classified information, Tony." He was hesitant at first, but when Tony and Ana leaned closer, he went on, "There've been nine bombings."

"Nine?"

"The public only knows about the three. But here's the thing: Nobody can ID a device. There's no bomb casings."

"You know I can help. Just ask. I got a ton of new tech. I got a prehensile suit. I got bomb disposal. Catches explosions mid-air."

Rhodey knew about the Iron Legion. Tony had shared his concerns with him shortly after New York. He just didn't know how many more suits Tony had built since then.

He seemed worried, though, not impressed. "When's the last time you got a good night's sleep?"

"Einstein slept three hours a year. Look what he did."

"That's just urban legend, Dad."

Rhodey nodded in approval. "People are concerned about you, Tony. I'm concerned about you. Ana, too. We're trying to help you. Just let us, buddy."

Ana nodded eagerly to bolster his argument. Tony hated it when these two teamed up against him. It was for his own good, he knew, but still…

"You're going to come at me like that?"

"Look, I'm not trying to be a dick—" He paused when two kids approached their table. "—tator."

"Would you mind signing my drawing?" the girl asked.

"If Richard doesn't mind. You alright with this, Dick?"

Rhodey and Ana laughed. "Fine with me," the former said.

"What's your name?" he asked the girl.

"Erin."

"I loved you in _A Christmas Story_, by the way," he told the boy, so that he wouldn't feel ignored, though he wasn't sure if he got the reference.

He looked at the drawing he was supposed to sign. _Shit_. It was him carrying that nuke into the wormhole. _It's just a kid's drawing_, he reminded himself. _Just sign and be done with it._

"Listen," Rhodey went on. "The Pentagon is scared. After New York, aliens… Come on. They need to look strong. Stopping the Mandarin is a priority, but it's not—"

"It's not superhero business," he said, ignoring the pain in his chest.

"No, it's not. Quite frankly. It's American business."

"That's what I said, I—" He sighed and covered his face with a hand. He had pressed the crayon too hard and broken it.

"You okay?"

"I broke the crayon…"

"Are you okay, Mr. Stark?" Erin asked.

He certainly wasn't okay. Maybe all that stress had taken a toll on his body. He wasn't young anymore. And just when he realized he didn't want to leave Ana alone in the world…

"_Don't go, Dad. Don't leave me."_

Rhodey had put a hand on his shoulder, and was calling his name, but Tony couldn't answer.

The boy came closer and whispered, "How did you get out of the wormhole?" This was the last straw. He didn't know how he had got out. The last thing he had seen was the nuke destroying the Chitauri ship, and then, he had woken up to the Hulk's roars, on a Manhattan street.

He scrambled to his feet and rushed outside. He needed JARVIS to do a health check.

"Check the heart," he said as soon as he was inside the suit. "Check the… Check the… Is it the brain?"

"No sign of cardiac anomaly or unusual brain activity."

"Okay, so I was poisoned?"

"My diagnosis is that you've experienced a severe anxiety attack."

"Me?" Insomnia was one thing, but an anxiety attack? He was Tony Stark, the most reckless and carefree person in the world. He couldn't have an anxiety attack.

"Dad?" he heard Ana ask. Rhodey was standing right beside her.

"I'm fine," he forced himself to say. He must have scared the shit out of her.

"Come on, man, this isn't a good look. Open up," Rhodey said impatiently, but Ana pulled him back and told him to wait.

"Sorry, I gotta split. I'll see you at home, kid." He took off. He didn't want anyone to see him like this, especially his daughter.

…

By the time Ana returned home, Tony was feeling much better. His Christmas gift for Pepper had just arrived, and he was preparing the shop for their date tonight.

"JARVIS told me you had an anxiety attack," Ana said the moment she entered. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, really. I don't know what came over me."

"I think you do, Dad. We both do."

"I guess we do," he admitted.

She hugged him. "Gosh, kids are so stupid…"

"Please tell me you didn't snap at those poor kids after I left."

"No, but maybe I should have."

"They couldn't have known."

She released him to look at his right hand. He had strapped an ice pack on it. It reminded him of the way his mom used to examine him after he cut, burnt or electrocuted himself in his dad's workshop when he was a little boy. Ana was certainly nothing like his dad right now. "Rhodey was wrong," she said. "You don't have to look strong all the time."

"That's ironic, coming from you."

"I know. Still, I'm going to keep an eye on you until Pepper's home. Do you need my help with anything?"

"Yeah, you can help me clean up this mess."

"Okay."

They tidied the place up in silence, so that Pepper wouldn't notice it was even messier than usual. Ana had said he needed to tell Pepper about his issues, and Tony had agreed, but she wasn't being pushy about it either. This was one of the best things about Ana. She knew when to dote on him, and when to give him space.

"You don't happen to know when Pepper will be home, do you?" he asked Ana at some point. He was getting hungry.

"No. What's the deal with that bunny outside, by the way?"

"That's Pepper's Christmas present."

"Where's mine? What do I get this year?"

"Since when do you ask for presents? Are you jealous or something?" he joked. She rarely wanted anything for herself.

"Dad…"

"Don't worry, I got something for you, too. It's a surprise, so don't ask."

He took his phone as he made his way down to the cellar to choose a bottle for tonight's occasion. If Ana didn't know when Pepper would be home, maybe Happy did. But when he answered the call, all Tony could see was his forehead.

"Hello? Is this Forehead of Security?"

He lowered the tablet. "What? You know, look, I got a real job. What do you want? I'm working. I got something going on here."

"What? Harassing interns?"

"Let me tell you something. You know what happened when I told people I was Iron Man's bodyguard? They would laugh in my face. I had to leave while I still had a shred of dignity. Now I got a real job, I'm watching Pepper… Is Ana with you, by the way?"

"Yeah, where else would she be?"

Ana waved at Happy.

"What's going on? Fill me in."

"For real?"

"Yeah?"

"So, she's meeting up with this scientist rich guy, handsome. I couldn't make his face at first, right? And you know I'm good with faces."

"Oh, yeah, you're the best."

"Yeah, so I run his credentials. I make him Aldrich Killian. We actually met the guy back in… Where were we in '99? The science conference?"

"Uh, Switzerland."

"Right, right, exactly."

"Killian, I don't remember that guy."

"Of course you don't remember, he's not a blonde with a big rack. At first, it was fine. They were talking business, but now it's like getting weird. He's showing her his big brain."

"His what?"

"Big brain, and she likes it. Here, let me show you. Hold on. See?"

Of course, Tony couldn't see anything because Happy hadn't flipped the screen. "Look at what? You're watching them? Flip the screen, and then we can get started."

"I'm not a tech genius like you, just trust me, get down here."

"Flip the screen, so I can see what they're doing." Damn, how hard could it possibly be just to flip the screen?

"I don't know how to flip the screen! Don't talk to me like that anymore, you're not my boss. Alright, I don't work for you, and I don't trust this guy. He's got another guy with him, he's shifty."

Tony decided to find out who this Aldrich Killian was himself. Okay… Handsome and rich, check. The CEO of Advanced Idea Mechanics, check. Right... Ana was asking Rhodey about him earlier today. His company was now working on the Iron Patriot suit. That was probably why he had met Pepper.

"Relax, I'm just asking you to secure the perimeter. Tell him to go out for a drink or something."

"You know what, you should take more of an interest in what's going on here. This woman is the best thing that ever happened to you. And you're just ignoring her."

"A giant brain?" he scoffed.

"Yeah, there's a giant brain, there's a shifty character… I'm going to follow this guy, I'm going to run his plates and if it gets rough, so be it."

"I miss you, Happy."

"Yeah, I miss you, too, but the way it used to be. Now you're off with your superfriends, I don't know what's going on with you anymore. The world's getting weird."

"Hey, I hate to cut you off, do you have your taser on you?" Tony asked evasively. He didn't want to talk about New York again.

"Why?"

"I think there's a girl in HR who's trying to steal some printer ink. You should probably go over there and zap her." He placed the phone in the fridge and closed the door.

Ana was frowning.

"What?" he asked. "Come on, you don't think Pepper's got a thing for this Killian guy, do you? Because that was what Happy was implying…"

"Of course not! Pepper is not like… other people."

"What is it, then?"

"What really happened between you and Killian in Switzerland?"

"I don't know. I shook hands with a lot of people that night, I don't remember. And I was drunk, so…"

"I'm sure you were."

"It's probably nothing. Happy's just being paranoid. And you're worse than him."

"I don't know, Dad. Pepper has visitors all the time, Happy never made so much fuss about any of them before."

"Relax, I bet they're just talking about Rhodey's suit. Maybe he just wants to work with me, and sucking up to Pepper…" Suddenly, something clicked. He remembered Killian. His looks had improved since Tony had last seen him. "Oh, right, I remember him now. We were in the elevator, and… He was a fanboy, so I might have messed with him a bit."

She frowned again.

"Don't look at me like that, he was annoying!" Tony defended himself.

"Dad, how familiar are you with Pepper's resume?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Killian was her former boss."

"What?"

"Yeah, she used to work at AIM before she applied for a job at Stark Industries. And I'm surprised she's being nice to him now, because from what she told me, that Killian guy was creepy. Like, really creepy."

"Was he giving her a hard time?" Tony clenched his jaw angrily. He had always suspected Pepper might have experienced some kind of harassment. "Is that why she left?"

"As far as I know, Killian didn't take it too far. And he had a physical disability, so Pepper kind of felt bad for him, and didn't sue him. Instead, she got a new job and met us."

"Huh… How do you know all these?"

"Pepper used it as an example when she told me why I should always stand up for myself if I got harassed at work."

"Someone was bothering you, too?" he cried. "Who?"

"Geez, Dad, no! It was just one of her lectures, okay? She wants me to prepared for anything. Relax."

He reminded himself not to overreact like this. If he did, she would never come to him if she actually got harassed. And they all knew what happened when she tried to handle the harassers on her own. "Sorry."

"You didn't hear this from me, though, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks for the heads up, kid."

"Anytime."

"Ana?"

"Yeah?"

"I've been ignoring Pepper, haven't I?"

"Not really, no. But you need her help, now more than ever, and you're not letting her know. That's not good."

"I suppose it's not," he agreed thoughtfully.

"I'll be in my room. You get ready for your date."

_Former boss_, Tony thought after Ana left. That was another thing he and Killian had in common. Maybe Happy was right to be worried. It was ridiculous, he knew, and yet, the possibility was now gnawing at his mind.


	28. Chapter 28

As soon as Ana returned to her room, she called Happy. The recent events had forced her to shift her gaze from the skies to back to Earth. There was trouble on the horizon, and this time, she wanted to be one step ahead of the enemy.

"Hey, Ana. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to let you know that I take your warning seriously."

He grinned. "I knew you were smarter than Tony."

_I can never be smarter than him_, she thought. _Only more cautious._ Not that she cared about who the smarter Stark was. It wasn't a competition. "Anyway, what are you planning to do?"

"I'm going to follow the shifty guy, see what he's up to."

"Okay, but please be careful. If you see anything weird, don't get involved. Just call me, okay?"

His grin faded. "And what are _you_ going to do?"

"I'm going to call SHIELD, of course."

"I thought you didn't like SHIELD?"

"No, but they're good at what they do."

"What do you think is going on?"

"I don't know. Tell me more about Killian. What really happened between him and Dad?"

"Not much. Tony was hanging out with this chick, Maya Hansen. She was different, she was a scientist. Then Killian approached them, said he was a big fan of their work… I don't remember the details, it's been a long time."

Maybe he didn't, but Ana did. At least her own side of the story. It was one of the rare times she was excited about a social event. She had wanted to go with her dad, both because it was a science conference, and because she wanted them to celebrate the beginning of a new millennium together. He had said yes at first, but then ditched her and left for the airport late at night, while she was asleep. When she had woken up in the morning, the nanny had told her. So, Ana had celebrated that New Year's Eve at home, with Rhodey and JARVIS instead. When her dad had returned to Malibu, it was with enormous guilt, and a huge box of Swiss chocolate, a cute music box, and an expensive watch for her to make up for it. Even without the presents, Ana wouldn't have made a fuss, which had added even more to his guilt, she recalled. She knew she was the center of his world, so she was willing to look past such trivial things.

But others might not.

"What did Dad do to him?"

"He was just messing with him, you know how he was back then. I can't blame him, though. The guy was such a weirdo."

Ana frowned. "And now he's a charismatic rich scientist-slash-businessman?"

"Yeah, exactly!"

"Okay. Keep me updated. Bye."

"Bye."

Ana tossed her phone on the couch and sighed thoughtfully.

"What's on your mind, miss?" JARVIS asked.

"Do you think I'm paranoid, JARVIS?"

"I think you're seeing a pattern. But it's incomplete."

"Yeah, Killian does have an obvious pattern. He's been following Dad's footsteps. He's got the money, he's got the looks, he's got the influence. He's the government's new number one military contractor. Does it sound familiar?"

"Absolutely."

"So, the logical next step would be becoming a superhero. But how? How is he going to enhance himself? And more importantly, does he still see Tony Stark as an idol? Or, does he see him as a rival now?"

She started pacing up and down in the room.

"This would be easier to answer if we knew what he wanted from Ms. Potts today."

"I'm sure Dad's going to ask her tonight. Listen, I'd hate to invade their privacy, but will you let me know if you hear anything? This is a matter of security now."

"Of course."

"Thanks… Google Maya Hansen. Happy said Killian was interested in her, too. Who is she? What's she good at?"

"She is a botanist, and an employee at AIM. She is mostly known for her Extremis project."

"What's Extremis?"

"It is a genetic manipulation for fast cellular regeneration based on nanotechnology."

"So, basically, another super-soldier formula…"

"Hansen's formula was only tested on plants. It was too volatile for human application."

"But we're on the right track! Extremis is Killian's ticket into the superhero world. This explains the military contracts as well. They're not just to imitate Dad. They will provide him the funding he needs to improve the formula, and the influence to get permission from the government for the eventual human testing…"

"You might be right."

"Still, there's one missing piece of the puzzle. If he wants to be the new Tony Stark, he's going to need a Pepper Potts… No, he's going to need_ the_ Pepper Potts."

"Are you saying Mr. Hogan was right? That Aldrich Killian was trying to… seduce Ms. Potts?"

"For insecure men, women are like trophies. Validation. Self-esteem boost. I guess that's what too much testosterone does to humans… Anyway, Pepper Potts is an epitome of a female partner. Killian won't settle for anything less."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Well, can you think of anyone else who is as beautiful, smart, and successful as Pepper?"

"I actually do."

"Who?" She was curious, because she couldn't think of anyone.

"You, of course, Miss Stark."

This made her laugh. It was just JARVIS' usual humor, then. She should have known… "Thanks, JARVIS, but let's be serious about this. Obviously, Pepper won't leave Dad for anyone. So, Killian is going to be pissed when he gets rejected. That means he's going to make his move soon; we need to be ready."

"But if Aldrich Killian has waited for more than a decade to set this hypothetical plan in motion, then he is most likely to be a patient man. We must not assume he is going to start making impulsive decisions all of a sudden."

Yeah, this was why JARVIS was her favorite brainstorming partner. "You have a point, JARVIS. This might not be as easy as I thought. Still, rejection and disappointment leave any person more vulnerable. He might make a mistake soon. And if he does, we're going to see how we can take advantage of it."

"What are you going to do until then?"

"I want to prepare an emergency kit. Is that headset Dad was talking about earlier fully functional?"

"The one to remotely control the Iron Man suits? Yes."

"Good. Fabricate another prototype for me. And give me a list of all the new suits. I want to take a closer look."

"As you wish."

Ana spent the rest of the evening in her room, studying every suit in the Iron Legion, and preparing her "emergency kit." The armors were… sloppy, at least for a Stark, but in case of an emergency, they would do. So, she learned the capabilities of each suit. So much for compartmentalization.

* * *

According to JARVIS, Pepper hadn't talked much about Killian, but she had finally learned about the consequences of the Battle of New York. That night, Ana was feeling much better when she went to bed. No matter what her dad said, she knew she alone wasn't enough to help her father with his PTSD. Maybe Pepper could help him.

But around 4 in the morning, she woke up to muffled screams and thuds coming from the master bedroom. Instinctively, she took her gun before going out to investigate, and found Pepper storming out of the room. She froze when she saw Ana, and her eyes widened when she spotted the gun.

"Is that…"

"Pepper, it's just a gun."

"_Just a gun_?"

"And the safety is still on," she defended herself.

Pepper shook her head in frustration and headed downstairs. Ana went after her. "Come on, Pep! What's wrong?"

She remained silent until she entered one of the guest bedrooms. Then she sat down on the edge of the bed. "This," she said, pointing at the gun, "is not a toy, Ana! You and Tony think it is, but it's not! Neither are the suits!"

"Did you have a fight about the suits?"

"Well, one of those things just tried to kill me, so…"

"What?" Ana cried. The suits were for the protection of this family. Her dad must have made a serious miscalculation if one of them had attacked Pepper.

"Tony said he must have called it in his sleep, I don't know… He was having a nightmare."

"It must be a command error in the sensors, we'll fix it."

Pepper looked at her with a sad, almost angry smile. "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about! You don't get how dangerous your stuff actually is!"

"Didn't he tell you about New York?"

"He did."

"Then you know how much he needs you right now. Please, Pepper. Just go back to him."

"No. He needs _you_."

"He needs you more."

"Then why is it always you, Ana? You already knew about his PTSD. You knew about the palladium poisoning, too. That's the thing. You're _always_ the first to know, and I'm the last!"

Was Pepper… jealous? Of Ana? "I can't believe we're having this conversation…"

"Am I wrong?"

"Pepper, I only knew about the palladium because I knew what the Arc Reactor was made of. And he shared his fears about aliens with me because he wanted to have a scientific discussion about them! Even if he hadn't, I would've noticed how crappy his designs have become lately and—"

"You two speak a language I don't. So, just go make sure he's okay. I'm tired. I don't want to see another weapon tonight."

Without a word, Ana left. She couldn't believe it. How long had Pepper been comparing herself to Ana? It was a ridiculous comparison. Ana felt almost… betrayed. She didn't know how else to describe her disappointment. Suddenly, she wasn't Pepper anymore, but just a stranger who happened to be her father's girlfriend. This was the second time she realized how fragile their relationship actually was. The first was when her dad had asked her to go to his office and find proof of Stane's betrayal, and Pepper was almost going to quit. This second time hurt even more.

Ana took a deep breath to steady herself before entering the master bedroom. The door was still open, and her dad was picking up the parts of a smashed suit. She didn't want to cry in front of him. She didn't want them to have a fight because of her.

"Dad?"

He turned to look at her. He was a mess. His hair was damp with sweat, the circles under his eyes were even darker now, and he was shaking. It scared her, to see him like this. She needed to believe he could walk away unscathed from anything life threw at him. Now she was beginning to realize that wasn't true.

"Sorry, kid. Did we wake you up?"

"It's fine. Let me help."

"You go back to bed, I got this."

Ana didn't listen, and started picking up the remaining pieces. "Another nightmare?"

"Yeah."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Not really."

_There has to be_, she thought as they carried the pieces back to the shop. She couldn't just stand idly by as the fear consumed him like this.

"You know, maybe we could use some professional help…"

He looked at her with a wry smirk. "Oh, so you want to take me to a shrink now?"

"I said, _we_. I'll come with you if you agree. We both have issues."

"Do you really think there's a therapist who can help_ us_?" he asked grimly.

"No," she admitted. He had a point. Pepper was right. Ana and her dad were different. Other people wouldn't understand their struggles, how their minds worked, how they perceived the world. Only they could help each other.

Which gave her an idea. A crazy idea. But a viable one, nonetheless.

"You know what, I think I'm going to give you your Christmas present now," he announced all of a sudden.

He took out a jewelry box from one of the drawers of his desk. This year's Christmas gift was a piece of jewelry, then. The black, velvet jewelry box he took out seemed quite worn and dated, though. He opened it, to reveal a pearl necklace inside.

"What do you think?"

"It's… pretty," she said. It was a bit too old-fashioned for her taste. And she wasn't even much of a jewelry person anyway. He was supposed to know that. But he was being thoughtful, and she didn't want to ruin it. She would wear anything if it made him happy.

"It was my mom's favorite necklace."

"Oh!" Damn, she should have known… He wasn't giving her just any gift, he was giving her something special. And she was internally bitching about not liking jewelry…

He held the necklace out. "Do you want me to…"

"Yeah, sure."

He put the necklace on her, then studied her in silence for a while, as if he was trying to see his mom in her. "You look like her."

"In my Hello Kitty pajamas?"

He laughed, pulled her into a hug, and kissed her temple. "She'd want you to have this. So, don't ever lose it."

"Do you think she'd like me? Be honest."

"Honey, she'd _love_ you. And she'd be very, very thankful for taking such good care of his son."

"Dad?"

"Mm?"

"I think I might have a solution for you."

"What solution?"

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, Miss Stark?"

"I need you to hack into the Quinn Worldwide mainframe. Give me everything you can find on gravitonium." There. She had given the command. There was no turning back now. The idea had been nagging at her mind for a while, but seeing her dad like this tonight had given her the incentive she needed.

"Time-travel?" her dad gasped. "That's your solution?"

"Why not? We'll go to the future, see if you're right to fear aliens. And if you are, we'll find out what went wrong in that future, come back to the present day, and fix it."

"That only works if the multiverse theory is true."

"After everything we've seen, it has to be."

"What if it's not? What if there's only one timeline, and _we_ are what goes wrong in the future?"

"You're afraid of creating a time loop."

"I don't want to drag you into that kind of mess."

"Dad, I'm already in this mess. Not that I'm complaining. And I know the rule: You mess with time, time messes with you back. That's why it should happen on _our_ terms. There's no one smarter than us on this planet. I don't care how arrogant it sounds. It's a fact!"

He thought for a moment. Ana could see that he was seriously considering the option, but he was also reluctant.

"I thought time-travel scared you more than it scared me," he finally said.

"You underestimate how far I'm willing to go for you." Maybe Pepper was right. Ana was the only one who could help him. In that case, she had to take certain risks. She owed him that much.

He didn't say anything, but the look of gratitude on his face spoke volumes.

"Miss, breaching the firewall of the Quinn Worldwide mainframe will take approximately 6 hours."

"Take as much time as you need, JARVIS. Just be careful. We don't want to get caught."

Suddenly, her dad's phone started ringing. He picked it up. "Hello?"

Ana didn't know who was on the other end of the line, but his expression changed into one of shock in a matter of seconds. Then the phone slipped through her fingers and fell onto the floor.

"Dad?"

"There's been another Mandarin attack…"

"Where?"

"In LA. The Chinese Theatre."

That couldn't be all, though. Why would he get a personal phone call at this hour because the Mandarin had attacked the Chinese Theatre? There had to be something else. And deep down, Ana had a guess what it was.

"Happy… He was there."

* * *

She was crying as she packed a bag. They were going to the hospital as soon as Pepper was awake, and Ana was going to stay with Happy. They were the only family he had, and she didn't like the idea of him being alone in a hospital room. She knew she couldn't stay with him until he was recovered. She had a job, and other responsibilities. She didn't even know if he would wake up at all… Maybe it would take years. Maybe he would never…

She wasn't even sure what to take with her. Toothbrush, spare clothes, and the emergency kit… She decided to take Ana Jarvis' shawl, to have something that would give her comfort. Then she touched the necklace she was still wearing. Her grandmother's necklace. She wasn't sure if she wanted Pepper to see it. What if she started complaining about not receiving a sentimental gift like this?

Damn, she was never supposed to have such doubts about Pepper… What had changed?

In the end, she kept the necklace on, to show her dad how much she appreciated the gift. Then she went down to the living room to join him. He was watching the news. The lastest Mandarin attack was what everyone was talking about this morning. Ana had never seen him so furious before. It was now certain that he wasn't going to rest until he stopped the Mandarin. And to be honest, Ana wanted him to unleash hell upon that bastard. She just hoped he would be smart about it. She went to join him on the couch and leaned against him. His face didn't soften, but he started stroking her hair gently.

"Is Happy going to be okay?" She knew he couldn't know that, but she needed him to give her hope.

"Of course he is. We're going to take good care of him."

They turned their heads when they heard the footsteps behind them. Pepper was awake. She looked like she had returned to her usual self, and realized something was wrong.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Ana remained silent. If she talked to Pepper right now, she was going to burst into tears again. So, her dad did the explaining. Pepper agreed that they needed to go to the hospital at once. On the way, she apologized for having overreacted last night, though she didn't apologize to Ana directly. She probably didn't want her boyfriend to know that she had snapped at his daughter, too.

At the hospital, the doctors let them see Happy, even enter his room. His condition was critical. He couldn't breathe without assistance. There were cuts and bruises all over his body. At least the internal bleeding had stopped, and the injuries weren't permanent. Of course, none of these would matter until he woke up, and the doctors didn't sound hopeful.

Her dad had called for a bunch of security guards to keep an eye on Happy. When they arrived, he went to have a word with them, leaving Ana and Pepper alone in the room.

"I like your necklace," she started.

"Thanks. It's a Christmas gift from Dad. Grandma's favorite necklace… I can take it off if you want," she offered bitterly.

"What?"

"Oh, I don't know, I wouldn't want you to get jealous or anything…"

"Ana… What I said last night, I didn't mean—"

"I think you did, Pep. Don't worry, I won't tell Dad anything. Contrary to popular belief, I can handle my own—" She stopped when her dad returned.

"There's not much to do here," Pepper told him quickly. "I'll go home, and call in some favors, see what else we can learn about this Mandarin."

"Yeah, good idea." He kissed her lips, oblivious to the tension in the room. "I'll see you at home."

Ana fixated her gaze on Happy to avoid Pepper's. She only looked up when she heard the door being closed.

"How are you holding up?"

"There's this awful pit in my stomach…" She didn't say Pepper was partially responsible for that pit. Something had come in between them after last night, and Ana didn't know if it would ever go away.

"Yeah, I got one of those, too."

They just sat in companionable silence for hours until the evening, then he turned on the TV. Ana had assumed he wanted to watch the news again, but instead, he turned on PBS, and muted the sound.

"Do you like _Downton Abbey_?"

"I've never seen it." She didn't have much time to watch TV anyway.

"Neither have I. But Happy loves it."

"I know."

A nurse entered to check Happy's vitals, but she didn't notice the Starks at first. When she did, her dad said, "Hi!"

She smiled nervously. "Oh, uh."

"Mind leaving that on?"

"Sure."

"Sunday night's PBS, _Downton Abbey_. That's the show. He thinks it's elegant… One more thing, make sure everyone wears their badges. He's a stickler for that sort of thing, plus my guys won't let anyone in without them."

The nurse nodded.

"Ana, come with me for a sec."

They went out to the hallway, somewhere out of everyone's earshot, even the bodyguards'. "Are you sure you're going to be comfortable here?"

"Yeah, Dad, I'll be fine. And 'comfort' is the least of my worries right now."

"We don't know how long this will last. You can't stay here forever."

"I know. Just a couple of days. I've known him since I was four, Dad. It doesn't feel right to leave him alone."

"Okay. Listen. You'll be safe here. If you need anything from outside, send someone else to fetch it, or at least take one of the guards with you. You got your… gun, right?"

"Yeah, it's in my bag." It wasn't even the only weapon she had packed, but he didn't need to know that.

"Good girl." He kissed the top of her head, and left. Ana returned to Happy's room.

…

After the _Downton Abbey_ episode ended, she switched to the news. That was when she found out her dad hadn't only threatened the Mandarin, but also given him their home address on his way out of the hospital. And the Mandarin had responded to the challenge.

All Ana could think about while watching her home being destroyed by the Mandarin was her last conversation with Pepper. If something happened to her, Ana would never forgive herself, especially for breaking her heart over something so petty. And her dad… She couldn't bear the thought of losing him, but there was nothing new about that.

Once it was over, she called them, of course, but neither of them was answering their phones. She was preparing to return to Malibu when she received a call from a blocked number.

"Dad?" she cried.

"Miss Stark? It's me, JARVIS. I'm calling you from an encrypted line to let you know that both Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts are alive."

"Oh, thank goodness!" she said instinctively, then asked, "Wait, why didn't Dad call me himself?"

"Mr. Stark is unconscious. I'm taking him to Rose Hill, Tennessee in Mark XLII as we speak."

"Tennessee? Why?"

"We'd prepared a flight plan. Mr. Stark believes the first Mandarin attack happened there. I've just e-mailed you the Mandarin database I prepared. Shall I turn the suit around? Mark XLII has barely enough power left to make it to the destination."

"But it can make it?"

"Yes."

"Keep going, then. No one will look for Tony Stark in Tennessee. He'll be safer there."

"I agree."

"Does Pepper know about this flight plan?"

"No. I figured it might not be safe to tell her right now."

"Why not?"

"Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts received a visitor this morning: Maya Hansen. She looked like she wanted to talk about the Mandarin before the attack started."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound suspicious at all…"

"She might still be with Ms. Potts. That's why I chose not to contact her."

"Good thinking, J."

"What are you going to do now?"

Ana looked at Happy, and then the sight of the now completely destroyed mansion on the TV. She started crying again.

"Miss Stark?"

"That was our home, JARVIS!" she sobbed.

"It can be rebuilt."

"It won't be the same."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked somberly.

"I don't know… What can you even do?"

"I can give you a suit."

"The Legion?"

"The House Party Protocol cannot be activated until the debris is cleared. But Mr. Stark built a secret suit for you. I flew it away from the mansion as soon as the attack started. It is now waiting for you just outside the Corral Canyon Park, concealed. I can take you to Tennessee, too, if you want."

"How many more times do I need to tell you and Dad? I _can't_ fly!"

"The suit is equipped with micro-injectors. I can sedate you."

"He's thought everything, hasn't he?"

"It appears so."

"First, I have to make sure Pepper is okay. Then I'll call you back, and we can discuss how to proceed."

"As you wish, miss."

After she hung up, she tried Pepper again, and this time, she picked up. "Ana?"

"Hey, Pepper."

"Are you still at the hospital?"

"Yeah. Is Maya Hansen with you?"

"Wait, how do you know about Maya?"

"It doesn't matter. Is she still there?"

"Yes."

"Please just get away from her, Pepper. I'm begging you. She might be dangerous."

"Ana, what are you talking about?"

"She was in Switzerland with Dad and Killian, I think there's some kind of connection! Look, I'm so sorry for everything I said, but I need you to trust me right now."

"Of course I trust you, Ana," she said softly. "And I'm sorry, too. But I want to hear what Maya has to say. It might be important."

"Pepper, if you get into trouble—"

"I can handle myself. Are you going to stay with Happy?"

"No, I'm coming to you."

"Okay. Be careful."

"You, too."

She hung up. Damn, Pepper's mind was set. Ana had to find another way to protect her. It seemed the emergency kit she had prepared was going to come handy, after all. Maybe she was wrong about Hansen. Maybe she was just a concerned old friend. Ana hoped she was. But she would be damned if she left Pepper alone with that woman.


	29. Chapter 29

On her way to Malibu, Ana decided to check the Stark Secure Server to see if her dad had any messages for them. He must have reached Tennessee by now.

Indeed, he had left a message. _"Pepper, Ana, it's me… I've got a lot of apologies to make, and not a lot of time, so first off. I'm sorry I put you girls in harm's way. That was selfish, and stupid, and it won't happen again. Also, it's Christmas time. The rabbit's too big. Done. Sorry. And I'm sorry in advance because… I can't come home. I need to find this guy. You gotta stay safe. Take care of each other. That's all. I just stole a poncho from a wooden Indian."_

If only he had given Ana a hint about what he wanted her to do with her suit. Yeah, he wanted her to protect Pepper, but he needed protection, too. According to the Mandarin database JARVIS had sent her, he was there to investigate what was supposed to be a suicide bombing, but if someone recognized him…

When she arrived, she found Pepper standing on the edge of the cliff, holding an Iron Man helmet in her hands. She smiled when she saw Ana. "I found something in this," she whispered.

"I know. I got it, too."

"So, we're… good, right?"

"Of course."

They hugged each other. Ana used this opportunity to plant a bug on her. She didn't notice it.

"I loved this place," Ana huffed.

Pepper gave her shoulders a gentle, affectionate squeeze. "I know, honey. But we can't stay here. Come on, let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know. To a hotel, maybe?"

"With Hansen?"

"Ana, please…"

"You go ahead, then. I'll catch up."

"You heard Tony. We should stick together. It's still dangerous out there."

"I don't want to hang out with one of Dad's exes. It's weird."

"Yeah, tell me about it," she smiled a tense smile at Hansen, who was now approaching them.

"You must be Ana Stark," she said.

"And you must be Maya Hansen."

"I'm so sorry about what happened." Hansen rubbed Ana's upper arm, trying to imitate Pepper's affection, at least until Ana pulled herself back. She didn't like being touched by strangers.

"Thanks," she said coldly, and turned to kiss Pepper's cheek. "I'll see you later."

Ana returned to her car and drove away from the what had remained of the Malibu Mansion. Seeing the destruction with her own eyes had made it even worse. But she couldn't start mourning for her lost childhood. Not until everyone was safe.

* * *

_I should have packed a scalpel_, she thought, as she cut her left upper arm open with a pocket knife. She had been right to be suspicious of Maya.

"Miss, I recommend mild electrocution," JARVIS said. "It would be less painful than this."

"I don't want to kill the tracker, J. I want you to hijack the signal. Make it look like I'm going to Las Vegas. Or, San Francisco, I don't know."

Finally, she saw the device. With a pair of tweezers, she pulled it out. Now it was time to clean and stitch the wound.

"I did as you asked," JARVIS reported. "Whoever is monitoring this signal, will think you're going to San Francisco as we speak."

"Great. How is Dad?"

"I have no updates. The suit is offline."

"So, he's on his own, then…"

"May I ask what your actual plan is?"

Why did JARVIS keep asking this question? If she needed him to do something, she would let him know. He was supposed to know that.

"Wait until Pepper's alone, call her and tell her about the tracker. If that's not enough to convince her to get the hell away from Maya, I don't know what is."

She was also listening in on Pepper and Maya's conversation in the meantime. They were on their way to the hotel, and Hansen was telling Pepper about her research, Extremis, funded by Aldrich Killian. According to Maya, his boss was working for the Mandarin.

But if Maya wanted redemption for herself, why would she plant a tracker on Ana? Ana didn't believe a single word that came out of that bitch's mouth. This whole thing was a trap.

She was almost done stitching the wound when she heard the footsteps. Naturally, she snatched the gun on the dash, and prepared to start the car. The doors were already locked. Someone tapped on the glass. "Hello, Ana."

_You gotta be kidding me…_

The woman who was smiling at her was no one other than Natasha Romanoff. Still, using the X-ray scanners on her tablet, she scanned the woman's face to make sure it was really her. If AIM had been dabbling with nanotech, it wouldn't be a stretch to say they had nanomasks at their disposal to feign identities. But this one was really the Black Widow herself. Fury must have sent her. Ana unlocked the door and let her into the car.

"How did you find me?" She was on a hill overlooking a private beach. The area was quite secluded, away from the main road.

"It's what I do… What happened to your arm?"

"I had to remove a tracker. Damn, isn't that the oldest trick in the spy book?"

"Who put it on you?"

"Maya Hansen."

She seemed familiar with the name.

"The joke's on her," Ana continued, tapping on the wireless headphone in her ear. "I have my own tracker on Pepper."

"Impressive." It wasn't clear if she was serious, or just messing with her.

"Thanks," Ana said dryly.

"What about Tony?"

"I don't know where he is," she lied, even though she knew Romanoff wasn't going to buy it.

At least she pretended like she had. "We can't stay here. And you should ditch the car."

She had a point. The Lamborghini wasn't exactly helping her keep a low profile. "Do you have a ride?"

"A van. Come on, let's go save your mom."

"Pepper's not my _mom_." The idea of calling Pepper "mom" made her uneasy. Not that Ana didn't wish Pepper were her actual mom, but it just felt like it might be asking for too much. Not everybody wanted to be a parent.

Romanoff smiled, but didn't say anything.

* * *

"Why did Fury send you?"

"You're a valuable asset."

At least she hadn't denied the fact that it was Fury who had sent her. "Does he still think I'll work for him one day?"

"He's not such a terrible boss, you know. I've had worse."

Ana knew Romanoff had a dark past, with that Black Widow academy in Russia and all. Everybody did. Truth to be told, Ana didn't dig too much into it. Deep down, she feared she might start feeling sympathy for her if she did. Perhaps Romanoff knew that, too, and was using it against her.

"Just to be clear, I only accepted your help because Pepper's life is at stake."

"Relax… I'm not playing any mind games with you."

"Hold on!" Ana cried upon hearing something on the earphone, and put the sound on the tablet's speaker so that Romanoff, too, could hear whatever was happening.

Pepper and Maya were in a hotel room now, the latter pretending like she regretted the choices she had made. She hadn't left Pepper alone for even a moment, so Ana hadn't been able to call her. Now, they had been interrupted by room service. Pepper had gone to answer the door, but then something must have happened, because Pepper had screamed in horror.

"MAYA, RUN!"

"Hi, Pepper," a man said.

"So, you want to tell me why you were at Stark's mansion last night?" the man asked.

"I'm trying to fix this thing. I didn't know you and the Master were going to blow the place up!"

"Oh, I see, so you were trying to save Stark… when he threatened us."

"I told you, Killian, we can use him."

"Pepper, Pepper, Pepper…" Pepper sounded like she was fighting back, but Killian was merely annoyed by her efforts.

"Look, if you want to launch product next year, I need Stark. He just lacked a decent incentive, now he has one."

_You assholes…_

"Where's the girl?" Killian asked.

"Who?"

"Stark's daughter."

"In San Francisco."

"What's in San Francisco?"

"I don't know. She came to see her after the attack, barely looked at me. She didn't want to come with us. But I managed to put the tracker on her."

"Is that true, Pepper?"

"Go to hell!"

"Come on, Pepper… That girl is nothing to you."

"'That girl' is my daughter. And I'll never help you find her."

_Daughter._ Pepper had called her daughter. "You can't possibly be that naive. Do you know what I think? I think if Tony had to make a choice between you and her, he'd choose her. So, why do you care?"

"I don't know what she's up to. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. Don't waste your breath."

No one spoke after that. The noises gave Ana the impression that they took Pepper to a vehicle. Her signal was moving fast, which meant that she was being transported.

Romanoff accelerated the van. "We can catch up with them!"

_No, we can't. Not in time._

"I have a suit," Ana blurted out. The surest way to get Pepper back was to use the suit.

"What?" There were very few things that could surprise a seasoned spy like her, Ana thought. This was apparently one of them.

"I have a suit. I can use it."

"I thought you were—"

"Afraid of heights? Yeah. That's the thing. I don't have to put it on. Pull into an alley, somewhere out of sight…"

To her surprise, Romanoff did so. She believed Ana could pull this off, then. Funny, because even Ana didn't believe in herself. She was scared of failure. Of making things worse. Of responsibility. Life was easier when her dad and Pepper made all the difficult calls. It was easier just to sit back and criticize them. She really was the worst. No wonder she didn't have any friends.

But she had promised herself that she would never feel this helpless again. And Pepper considered her a daughter… This wasn't even a choice.

Also, there was the fact that Killian had sounded just a tad concerned while asking about Ana. Perhaps he was right to be worried. Perhaps Ana was a force to be reckoned with, after all. There was something flattering about being seen as a threat by the bad guy.

"JARVIS?"

"The suit is ready to be sent after Ms. Potts."

"Good. You initiate the take-off, while I prepare the headset. Maintain the cloaking mode."

"As you wish, miss."

"Your suit has a cloaking mode?" Romanoff asked, intrigued.

"Yeah. Go ahead, tell Fury."

"Can I see what you're doing?"

"The last thing I need right now is audience."

"Ana, come on. Don't be so damn stubborn. Have you ever done anything like this before?"

"No," she admitted.

"Then let me help. You said it yourself. Pepper's life is at stake."

"Fine…" Ana put on the headset, and projected the HUD onto the tablet, so that Romanoff could watch, too. "Okay… JARVIS, how much time do I have before we reach Pepper?"

"Five minutes."

"I got five minutes to get used to this thing. Awesome… Let me take over."

"All yours."

JARVIS switched off the auto-pilot. Now, Ana was fully in control of the suit. It was just like an extremely realistic video game. Except, she didn't remember when was the last time she had played a video game. She sucked at gaming anyway. Slow reflexes. Even after all that self-defense training with her dad, Rhodey, and Happy, she hadn't improved much.

"Miss Stark?"

"Yes, JARVIS?"

"You can do this. I'll be with you at every step."

"Thanks." Knowing that JARVIS was with her helped. Being a program, he was a lot less likely to make mistakes.

"JARVIS seems quite fond of you," Romanoff said.

Ana chuckled. "The feeling is mutual. Computers are good company."

"Unlike humans?"

"Please, I can't be distracted right now."

"Okay, okay…"

"Miss, we're closing in."

Indeed they were. Ana focused on the car ahead. She could see Pepper. She was lying unconscious in the backseat. She was the only one in the car, other than the driver. Killian and Maya were nowhere to be seen. It didn't matter. The mission was to save Pepper. She was going to grab Pepper and leave. With JARVIS help, she aligned the suit with the trunk and landed on it, caving a visible dent, although the armor itself was still invisible. A second later, people were shooting at her. Damn. It appeared the car behind this one belonged to Killian's goons as well. And the driver was trying to shake her off. The car was wildly swaying from one side to the other, but JARVIS had taken care of that already, by latching the boots to the surface. She wasn't going anywhere until she wanted to.

"Disengage the stealth mode!" She didn't want the idiots to accidentally shoot Pepper, who, unlike Ana, was actually there and exposed to the bullets.

"Disengaged."

She thought of breaking the glass first, but that could injure Pepper. There wasn't much time to think. She ripped the roof off—it was as easy as tearing off a piece of paper—and threw it at the second car. The shooting stopped immediately. She scooped Pepper into her arms, and flew away.

Pepper's eyes were half-open now. Her hands were tied, but they were going to have to wait. "Tony," she mumbled, looking at the suit's faceplate.

"Wrong Stark. Guess again."

Her eyes widened. "Ana? What the hell?"

Ana let the helmet pop open to show her she wasn't really there.

"Since when you have your own suit?"

"Trust me, I didn't know until a few hours ago either."

Her eyes closed again. Killian must have sedated her quite heavily. But it didn't matter anymore. She was saved. Ana hadn't screwed it up.

* * *

Romanoff had a safe house in LA. They went there, and JARVIS brought Pepper. They met at the rooftop of the building. Pepper was still a bit disoriented by the time the suit put her down, but at least she could stand on her feet. She looked at Romanoff, then the dark blue suit with bronze highlights—Ana was glad that her dad remembered the joke—and finally, Ana.

"I should've listened to you," was the first thing she said. "You tried to warn me."

As soon as Ana cut the zip ties off, they hugged each other. "It's okay. Your mistake was to assume Maya was a decent human being like yourself."

Pepper pressed Ana's head against her chest, sighing in relief. "I get it now. Tony trusts you for a reason. You're good at… this. At seeing through things."

"That's because I'm not a decent human being myself."

"Ana! Don't say such things."

It was the truth. The fact that even Pepper was hesitant to let her know that she loved her like a daughter after all these years alone spoke volumes about what a cold-hearted, stoical bitch Ana Stark was.

"Speaking of, I know where Dad is," she said apologetically, knowing this was exactly the kind of thing had been bothering Pepper. "But I can't tell you. Now that you're safe, I have to go to him."

Pepper released her to be able to look her in the eye. "Are you sure?"

"What choice do I have, Pepper? He's out there, all alone, with one crappy dead suit. I'm the only backup he has."

"Just tell SHIELD what he is up to."

"I don't trust SHIELD either. But I trust Romanoff to protect you."

"Be careful, okay? I can't lose you. I can't lose either of you."

"You won't lose anybody. I'll bring him home, I promise."

"This is not one of your better ideas. You'll be in a suit, but you'll be totally defenseless while sedated," Romanoff reminded.

Ana turned to her. "The Mandarin is known to have hijacked airways before, which means I can't take a private jet unless I want it to be shot down from the sky. I can't fly commercial either. That would only put the other passengers at risk."

The redhead smiled meaningfully. "You have it in you, you know. No matter what you say."

She didn't ask what "it" was. She had a lot of things in her. Not all of them were good. "I'll handle things myself from here," she said instead. "You can go. Keep Pepper safe."

Pepper was still reluctant, but she left with Romanoff nevertheless. Ana waited until she was alone on the roof to don her not-so-secret-anymore suit. This was a moment she wanted to experience in private. This particular suit was more than just a suit. It was a token of her father's faith in her. The best part was, it was exactly a suit Ana would design herself. Invisible, quiet, light, and yet deadly. Sometimes people said the Starks shared a brain. Perhaps they were right.

JARVIS popped the suit open. "Are you ready, Miss Stark?"

"No. But, hey, I'm the girl who wants to go to the future to see if aliens will invade the planet. What's flying unconscious from LA to Tennessee, right?"

"I promise you'll have no recollection of this experience. By the time you're awake, you'll be on the ground."

"I don't care what Romanoff says. I trust you, JARVIS. Where exactly is Dad right now?"

"He's left Mark XLII at the Keener Residence, but he has a new phone now. I'm going to track its GPS to take you to him."

_Just like boarding a plane, only much smaller,_ she thought, stepping into the suit. It closed around her. _At least I don't have claustrophobia_. That would be a lot harder to work around…

The last thing she felt before drifting off was the sting of the injectors.


	30. Chapter 30

When Ana woke up, it was daytime. She was in a car—an Audi—parked in front of a hardware store. The doors were locked. The initial thought was that she was kidnapped, but she wasn't tied up, and a kidnapper wouldn't have bothered to wrap a poncho around her shoulders. Something on the dash caught her attention. A bag of crackers, a can of soda, and a note:

_"Enjoy."_

Her dad's handwriting. He must have locked the doors for her own protection. When she turned her head, she found the suit in the backseat. She was starving, so she opened the bag and shoved a handful of crackers into her mouth. Funny how such simple gestures could make her feel home, when they came from him.

Soon, he appeared, carrying two overly stuffed shopping bags. He was in his "celebrity disguise," but this didn't stop Ana from recognizing him immediately. It was such a relief to finally see him. He unlocked the car, put the bags into the trunk, and got into the driver's seat.

"Hey, kid," he said casually, as if this were an ordinary shopping trip.

She decided to play along. Sometimes, it was the best way to cope with the madness going on around them. "Hey, Dad."

"Are you cold?"

Well, it _was _cold outside, obviously, and she hated the cold, but here, inside the car, it was warm enough. Still, she had traveled from California, and not dressed appropriately for the snow. Damn. She should have thought of this. "I'll manage. What happened?"

"Well, I was driving last night, and you dropped right in front of me. I thought I was hallucinating at first."

She smiled proudly. "Did you really think I wouldn't come for you?"

"I think I always knew I'd see you in a suit one day. This isn't exactly how I imagined it, but… I guess you needed a little push."

"Why did we stop here?"

He ignited the engine before replying. "I needed some stuff. The Mandarin is in Miami, and I'm going to pay him a visit."

"Miami?" asked Ana. She hadn't thought the big, bad Mandarin would be so close.

"Oh, and you were right about Killian. He's another Justin Hammer. Actually, scratch that, he's even worse. He and the Mandarin are in business. It's not a bomb that causes the explosions. It's—"

"Extremis."

"Wait, how do _you_ know?"

"Okay, I'm going to tell you something, but please don't freak out." He was going to freak out, that was inevitable, but he had to know. So, she told him what had happened with Pepper.

After she was done rehashing, he looked both grateful and terrified at the same time. "I guess I'll let you get away with it."

"_Get away with it_? Dad, you told us to take good care of each other. Pepper was kidnapped! What else was I supposed to do?"

"It's not that. It's the fact that you secretly built a suit, right under my nose, and you don't even bother to apologize."

"What?" she cried. Seriously, what the hell was he talking about?

"What?" he mirrored the question defensively.

"Dad, _you_ are the one who secretly built a suit, for _me_, right under _my_ nose! I didn't even know until JARVIS called me!"

"Ana, I never built a suit for you!"

"Well, I wouldn't build a suit for myself either! Especially without telling you first!"

He hit the brake so abruptly that they would've flown from their seats if it hadn't been for the seat belts. "How could this be possible?" he was mumbling frantically, hyperventilating. Damn. He was having another anxiety attack.

"Dad?"

"D—do I have amnesia now? I mean, building a suit for you… I'd remember such a thing."

"Well, severe sleep deprivation can cause amnesia. It's not your fault."

It didn't make things any better. "Oh, God…"

Ana leaned towards him and held his hands. "It's okay, Dad," she said softly. "Just take deep breaths. I'm right here."

He sunk into the seat and closed his eyes. Ana found a bottle of water and helped him take a few sips. Then she returned to holding his hands, because he was holding onto her like his life depended on it. "It's okay. Take all the time you need. No need to rush. It's just you and me."

It surprised her to realize how soothing her own voice sounded, especially for someone who had very little patience in interpersonal dealings. But then, she had all the patience in the world for this one person.

His eyes were still closed, but he smiled. "You're such a good kid…"

_I'm not,_ she thought. The truth was, she hated to see him so vulnerable. At times like these, she wished he was indeed the selfish, unapproachable jerk he pretended to be. He had never truly been a jerk to her, so that wouldn't be her problem. As for everyone else… Well, they weren't the ones who had to watch their father suffer like this, were they?

If she had her way, she would use her resources to build a spaceship, and in case of an unstoppable alien invasion, she would take everyone she cared about and get the hell out of the planet. Let the rest of humanity suffer the consequences of their ignorance and short-sightedness. After seeing how they had sneered at her when she had said she wanted to make business connections with extraterrestrial civilizations, with their smug faces, she wouldn't lose sleep over it. The only reason she still helped her father protect the planet was because she wasn't looking forward to becoming an interstellar refugee with her family and lose the privileges they had here. Yeah, she was the real jerk.

She waited until his breathing evened out. "Are you better now?"

"Yeah."

He opened his eyes, straightened up in the seat, and started the car again. For a few minutes, they remained silent. Then, she teased, "What's with the lumberjack style?" She didn't think she had ever seen him in a flannel shirt before.

"Wait until you see my watch. Limited edition." He showed her the Dora the Explorer watch.

Ana laughed. "Where did you get that?"

"It was my new friend's sister's… I like it, reminds me of the good old days. Remember how I once had to go to the office wearing pink lipstick and a princess tiara because of you?"

She tried to recall the memory, but couldn't. "I don't remember."

"You know what, if_ I _decide to invent time-travel one day, it's going to be to turn you back into your three-year-old self. That was your cutest version."

Speaking of time-travel… "Oh my gosh! I totally forgot to ask JARVIS what he found in the Quinn Worldwide servers!" It wasn't exactly a priority right now, but still… She was curious.

"How did JARVIS call you, anyway?"

"From an encrypted line. Didn't you programmed him to do so in an emergency?"

"Nope, that wasn't me. Or, maybe, it was. Who knows?"

Ana sighed, looking out the window. This was going to be the worst Christmas ever.

* * *

It hadn't taken them long to find a motel nearby.

"Pick your bed," he said, as they entered the room they had rented.

She looked around. This could be the least comfortable-looking place she had ever stayed, but that was the least of her concerns. She sat on the edge of one of the two single beds. He closed the curtains, turned on the lights, and started placing the stuff he had bought on the other bed.

"You know there's no need for this, right? You can just use my suit to storm the place."

"Your suit is yours. It's staying with you."

"Dad, I can't fight in it anyway. At least not effectively. Just take it and fly to Miami."

"And leave you here with no protection? No way. We're sticking together. This was my plan anyway, before you came to me."

Ana wished he would get some rest first, but that wasn't going to happen. So, she went to help him. Working together like this reminded her of the workshop. Which didn't exist anymore. She tried not to be sentimental about it, but after some inner struggle, tears pooled in her eyes.

Of course, he noticed. "Kid?"

"You had to do it, didn't you? You had to give that reporter what he wanted? Do you really believe he cared about the Mandarin, or the people he killed? He just wanted a good story, and you took the bait!"

"Well, I'm sorry the Stark shrewdness eluded me, okay?" he snapped. "It's not easy to think everything through while your best friend is in a coma!"

She didn't want to say anything she might regret later, so she didn't reply. They kept working in silence, until he said, "I'm sorry, kid. I know it's not easy for you either. You shouldn't be spending your holiday saving Pepper from kidnappers, or making Christmas bulb bombs in a shady motel room with me. You should be out there, seeing the world. Enjoying yourself. Do what other rich kids at your age do. I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

"I've already seen the world," she reminded him softly. They used to go on vacations frequently when she was a kid. She had seen every place that was worth seeing. "With you. And I've never been good at enjoying myself, so don't worry about it. I'm exactly where I want to be."

"But you're right. I can't afford to be impulsive. I could've lost Pepper. Or you. I didn't even know I had a suit for you when I threatened the Mandarin."

"Maybe you did, deep down."

"Still, it doesn't make any sense, you know. The suit doesn't have a name, or even a model. That's not my style."

"Yeah, having a few tricks up your sleeve to protect me in your absence doesn't sound anything like you at all."

He smiled. "Smartass…"

* * *

It was more than 10 hours to Miami. They took turns driving. He was the one on the wheel by the time they found the mansion. He drove around a bit, then stopped in a secluded spot behind a thick foliage of bushes and trees.

"It's kind of… nice," she commented as they observed Killian's mansion from this safe distance. "Especially for a terrorist."

"Yeah, you'd think the Mandarin would be living in a cave. Something else is going on here. I'm going to climb up on that tree to see better."

"You go ahead, I'm staying right here."

"Seriously? It's not even_ that _high."

She shrugged.

"Alright," he huffed, and started climbing himself. Ana pulled her suit out of the car. The damn thing was heavy. She struggled a bit, but it wasn't impossible either.

"Just a bunch of security guards", he said, coming down. "Nothing I can't handle. You put on the suit, and follow my lead. Stay invisible."

"I follow your lead? Shouldn't it be the other way around? I'm the bulletproof one here."

"We're trying not to make too much noise. Do _not_ engage unless you absolutely have to. Come on."

She did as he said. Ana's repulsors were ready to shoot, but she never needed to use them. He took out the guards with ease. The interior of the mansion was hot, stuffy, full of alcohol, drugs, and prostitutes. It wasn't nice. It was just messed up.

There was also studio equipment. Cameras, lights, props… Did this mean none of the things in those Mandarin videos were real? But people were dying, so it had to be real to some degree. Eventually, they found a bed… with two girls in it. Or, rather, her dad did. Ana was still invisible.

They heard the toilet flush, and then the Mandarin himself emerged. Her dad hid behind the bedhead just in time.

"Well, I wouldn't go in there for twenty minutes," the Mandarin laughed.

_What the hell?_

Then he gave the girls fortune cookies, and started reciting that line about them not being even Chinese. He was either high, or drunk. Or both. Her dad revealed himself, sent the girls out, and started questioning him. Ana was standing a few feet behind, blasters ready to be shot, just in case this was a trap.

The Mandarin's real name was Trevor Slattery, and he was an actor with drug addiction. He fell asleep while telling his story.

"Ana?" her dad whispered. "Are you seeing this?"

"Yeah," she whispered back.

He kicked Trevor awake, and the fake Mandarin continued telling his story. Apparently, he was hired by Killian. What was worse, Trevor didn't even know people had actually been dying. Not that he seemed like he cared, but still…

"DAD, GET DOWN!"

A guard had appeared right behind him, and Ana fired the repulsor. She didn't miss, but the guy just… healed. And she hadn't even gone easy on him. He grabbed her dad and disarmed him.

"Ana Stark, I presume?" he said, scanning the room. "I know you're here. Show yourself, or…" He squeezed her dad's throat.

"Ana, don't…" he whimpered.

"Miss Stark?" JARVIS asked. He sounded like he, too, wanted Ana to get out of here. But that wasn't an option. She turned off the stealth mode.

The guard grinned. "There she is. Now, get out of that suit. Nice and easy."

"Kid, no…"

"Shut up!" he hissed, and squeezed his throat even harder.

The suit opened up, and she stepped out of it. "Let him go."

After knocking him out with a punch, the guy came to grab Ana and dragged her away from the suit. Then he turned to Trevor. "Okay, Trevor. What did you tell them?"

"I didn't tell them anything," Trevor lied.

"Nothing?"

"No."

"You should've pressed the panic button."

"Well, I panicked, but then I handled it."

More guards stormed in. "Get rid of that suit," the first one told the others. "I'll take care of the girl."

Ana didn't like the way he looked at her. She had always hated that kind of look, the one that made her feel like a piece of meat on display. He hauled her over one shoulder, carried her to a small, dark room upstairs. One hand was on her ass. She knew it was on purpose.

"There you go," he said, putting her down. He searched her for weapons, and used the opportunity to keep touching her in the inappropriate places. Ana hated this with every fiber of her being, but she forced herself to remain as unresponsive as possible. Guys like him enjoyed watching their victims struggle desperately. Three years of being bullied had taught her that much. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. Then he made her sit on a chair, and zip-tied her to it.

"Aren't you a pretty little thing?" he sneered. "I'm Eric, by the way. Nice to meet you, princess."

She made no reply, and fixated her gaze on a spot on the wall. It angered him. "Not so fierce now, huh?" He pulled her hair to expose her neck and kissed it.

"Savin, that's enough!"

Maya Hansen was standing at the door. "What?" Eric asked angrily.

"Killian was asking for you earlier. Don't keep him waiting."

"Fine!" He clearly wasn't happy about it, but he left.

"I'm sorry about that," Maya said once they were alone.

"Seriously? Are you guys going to pull a good cop-bad cop on me?"

"I just don't want this to get any uglier than it needs to be."

"You work for a mass-murderer. It can't get uglier than that."

"Your arm… You're bleeding."

Ana looked at her arm. There was blood on her upper left arm. She must have popped the stitches.

"Let me patch you up."

"I don't want your help."

"It might get infected."

"I don't care."

Maya didn't listen to her, fetched a first-aid kit, and started stitching the wound. "Tony's safe, by the way. I need him alive."

"Until you don't," Ana reminded coldly.

A look of regret crossed Maya's face. Ana didn't know if it was genuine or not, and she didn't care. Given the chance, she would kill Maya without hesitation. For luring Pepper into a trap, if not for anything else.

After Maya was done tending the wound, she left the room without a word, and closed the door. Ana was alone in the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just in case it's not obvious, I'd like to confirm that it wasn't Tony that built Ana's suit. It was JARVIS. Ugh, I hope this "slow-burn" is not too slow… On the bright side, we're only 5 chapters away from them becoming an official couple.


	31. Chapter 31

When the door opened again, it was another one of Killian's men, one Ana hadn't seen before. Thankfully, unlike Savin, he didn't seem interested in her. In fact, he was a bit bored, by the look of it. Without a word, he cut her free, grabbed her by the wrist, and dragged her out.

They were in a hallway when a gunshot echoed in the building. Ana's heart almost stopped. What if that shot was… No, Maya had said they needed him alive.

When they entered a room in the basement, she saw that her dad was still alive, although he was bleeding, bruised, and tied to an old bed frame. She successfully managed to hide her relief from Killian, who was also here, and from the guy who was dragging her. Upon seeing Ana, her dad started to struggle against his restraints desperately. She wished he didn't. She knew how much he loved her, and could imagine how scared he was—she was scared for him, too—but why did he let the enemy see his desperation?

She was thrown at Killian's feet. Killian gestured the man to get lost. He did.

Her dad stopped struggling. "Let her go. Then we can negotiate the terms."

Killian laughed. "Oh, so you're willing to negotiate now… It's touching, Tony, it really is." With a violent move, he pushed the metal table behind him out of the way, revealing the dead body of Maya Hansen. "Look," he ordered Ana.

"What is this supposed to do, scare me? This is hardly the first dead body I've seen," she said in a perfectly neutral tone that wasn't hard to maintain at all. She was indeed indifferent to Maya Hansen's death, if not pleased.

Killian smiled like he had just been proven right about something. "I know," he said, and slapped her so hard that she was knocked on the floor. The bed frame was rattled again, this time even more loudly. She could taste the warm blood in her mouth, so she kept her head down. She didn't want her dad to see that she was bleeding.

"I wasn't going to hurt Pepper! I was going to make her perfect. But you…" Killian kicked her so hard that a gasp escaped her lips. "You stole her from me!" He kicked her again. This time, the crack of a rib was heard.

"You son of a bitch," her dad hissed.

"Now you're beginning to understand," Killian continued. "Desperation, I mean. But then, I don't think you truly can, not with that pretty face of yours." He went to him and started examining his face closely. "You can't know what it's like to be a freak. To be looked at with pity and disgust all the time. Neither can she. But I can change that."

He stepped away from the bed frame, and came up to Ana again to squeeze her face. A faint glow was visible beneath the skin of his hand.

"No!" her dad cried frantically. He was struggling against the ties so hard that Ana feared he would cut himself. "No! If you want to burn a face, burn mine! She's done nothing! She wasn't even in Bern! It was me! Just me..."

Killian stopped, and his eyes darted between the two Starks for a moment, his hand still glowing menacingly. Then he laughed. "Fatherhood must be so… bizarre, right? I could burn you alive right now, and you wouldn't even make a sound if that was what it took to keep her safe. I can see that in your eyes, Tony. It's crazy… I mean, we're talking about a guy like _you_."

No jokes, no witty comebacks, no threats from her dad. He seemed too scared to say the wrong thing, and that was probably a first. For some reason, Killian put the hand down, and the glow faded.

"No, I think I'll let Ana keep her face. Savin quite fancies her. He's a loyal man, deserves a _proper _reward after tonight."

Ana wished Killian had just melted her face instead. It couldn't be worse than getting a subtle rape threat in front of your father.

"Until then, we have things to do. Come on." He grabbed Ana and led her away. She didn't resist. She just wanted to get away from here so that she could be miserable without her dad witnessing it. The burning, throbbing pain in her torso made everything hazy. With a broken rib, even breathing hurt.

They went upstairs. Savin was waiting for his boss. "Once we get the Patriot installed, it will take me 9-10 minutes for the takedown," he reported.

Did they have Rhodey, too? Shit…

"Good. All we have to do is to get the Colonel out of it. With _her_ help, of course."

Indeed, they had the Iron Patriot chained, and were trying to cut it open. Her suit was here, too, but it had been dismantled. They were probably hoping to use its parts to repair Rhodey's suit afterwards.

"Now, now. There's no need to damage such a fine piece of tech," Killian said calmly, and his men stopped. "Hello, Colonel." He let her go, and she fell on her knees, for her legs were shaky with pain.

Rhodey remained still, but his scared voice came from inside the armor, "Ana?"

She gathered enough strength to say, "Whatever he does to me, don't get out of your suit."

"I wonder which comes first for the Iron Patriot: His country, or his friends." Killian shed his jacket, and studied Ana for a moment. His gaze lingered on the dried blood on her arm. He ripped the sleeve open, and stuck his finger into the wound Maya had patched up quite nicely. When he did, whatever determination Ana had to stay impassive went down the drain, and she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Which immediately resulted in Rhodey leaping out of the suit and punching Savin in the face. Killian let go of her, his face started glowing and he… _breathed_ fire at Rhodey. Despite the searing pain, Ana forced herself to stand up and tackle him to get him out of Rhodey's way.

Rhodey was baffled. "Y—you breathe fire? Okay…"

Savin slammed him against the wall, knocking him out immediately.

Killian smiled. "It's a glorious day, Savin. This time tomorrow, I'll have the West's most powerful leader in one hand, and the world's most feared terrorist in the other. I'll own the war and terror. Create supply and demand for you, and for your brothers and sisters… And Pepper was supposed to be by my side. What a disappointment. I blame _you_ for it."

He glared at Ana one more time, and slammed her head against the wall, just like Savin had done to Rhodey.

* * *

"_All personnel, Stark is loose somewhere on the compound. Repeat, Stark is loose somewhere on the compound."_

Well, they were certainly not talking about Ana…

"Sweetie?" Rhodey was shaking her gently.

Ana pried her eyes open. "Hey… You okay?"

"Yeah, you?"

"I'll live. Damn it, Rhodey, why did you get out of your suit?"

"Did you really expect me to watch while you get tortured?" he asked softly, stroking her hair.

"What now?"

"We gotta find Tony. Can you walk?"

"You go on ahead. I have a broken rib. I'll just slow you down."

"Sweetie, I can't just leave you here. Come on, I'll carry you if I have to."

With his help, she managed to sit up. Her injuries weren't getting any better. When she scanned the room, she realized her suit wasn't here anymore. "No, you're going to need your hands free. I'll keep up."

He looked at her with pity. "Are you sure?"

To answer his question, she scrambled to her feet. "Let's go. Dad must be worried sick."

"Yeah, I hope he doesn't freak out on us."

"If he does, just let him get it out of his system. Trust me, it's better that way."

He cocked an eyebrow questioningly.

"He needs a break, Rhodey. He can't keep pretending to be invincible forever."

Rhodey nodded in understanding. They didn't see anyone until they went out to the garden. The damn place was huge, and every step she had to take sent another wave of pain through her body. She could literally feel the tip of the broken rib poke her lung. Honestly, if it weren't for Rhodey and her dad, she would just give in and let Killian's men do whatever the hell they wanted with her.

When they saw a guard, Rhodey ambushed him, took his gun and phone. He called her dad. In the meantime, they saw Rhodey's suit flying away.

"Tony..."

"Rhodey, tell me it was you in the suit?"

"No, you got yours?"

"Ah, uhm, kind of… Have you seen Ana?"

"Yeah, she's with me."

"Oh, thank God… Main house, as fast as you can. Somebody I'd like you to meet."

They started walking again. She focused on taking deep breaths, but she wasn't sure how long she could keep going. As they approached the main house, they saw that Trevor Slattery was being protected by a bunch of guards. There was going to be a fight. He made her sit down on a bench nearby, for which she was grateful. At least she could stay still now.

"Wait here. I'll send Tony to get you, okay?"

"Okay."

He left, and shortly afterward, Ana heard gunshots. A few minutes later, her dad appeared, in Mark XLII, with a car battery charging it. The faceplate was open.

"It's not as bad as it looks," she said upon seeing the tormented look on his face.

"JARVIS says you have a fractured eye socket, moderate concussion, and a broken rib." He sat down next to her.

"Well, you know you've done a good job when the bad guys are mad at you… What do you think Killian would've done to Pepper? He said something about making her perfect."

He gingerly sat down beside her. "I don't know, maybe inject her with Extremis? That's his idea of perfection."

"Now I'm even more glad that I crushed his dreams."

He flashed a small smile. "You did good, kid. The police will be here soon, and you'll be going to the hospital right away."

"What about you?"

"Depends. Rhodey is questioning Trevor."

"My suit is gone," she remembered.

"I'll make you a new one… _if_ you want."

She chuckled. "If we survive this, I'm going to overcome my acrophobia."

"You sure?"

"I'd always thought I'd be fine as long as it didn't stop me from flying on a plane, but clearly, I was wrong. Things here would've gone very different if I'd been able to fight in that suit."

"You were right, kid. I should've just taken it myself."

"You didn't want to leave me unprotected."

"And how did that turn out?"

"Dad, don't do this. You can't foresee every single outcome of every single decision."

"You know what? Maybe family therapy isn't such a bad idea. After this—"

"Tony!" Rhodey interrupted, running towards them. "I got a location!"

"Well?"

"We gotta warn the Vice President. They're going to use my suit as a Trojan Horse, and take President Ellis, too. To the Roxxon Refinery. We don't have any transportation, man. What are we going to do?"

"Yeah, about that..." He turned to Ana. "Wasn't he talking about a lovely speedboat earlier?"

"Well, good luck you two." Ana knew she couldn't join them even if she wanted to. She was done for today.


	32. Chapter 32

At times like these, Pepper missed Phil Coulson, who had taught her that not all government agents were soulless, hard-hearted jerks, incapable of empathy. If Phil were here, he would tell her what she needed to know, be it good or bad, instead of giving her vague answers whenever the indeterminate waiting became too much and she asked for an update. Natasha had taken her to a SHIELD facility, and Pepper hadn't seen her again. Not many people had spoken to Pepper after that, until Trevor Slattery, AKA the Mandarin, had been arrested—it was all over the news—and Killian had reportedly been eliminated by Tony and Rhodey at the Roxxon Refinery. It appeared Tony had dozens of suit hidden beneath the mansion, and used them to fight Killian and his Extremis soldiers.

At least SHIELD was still kind enough to give her a ride to the hospital. All she knew was that Ana needed medical attention, and Tony would meet her there. By the time Pepper arrived, Tony wasn't at the hospital, though. They said he was still being debriefed. Considering it was the President himself Killian had kidnapped, she understood the urgency. The Vice President had been arrested for working with Killian as well.

A nurse took Pepper to Ana's room, saying she had needed a minor surgery, for her broken rib was pressuring against the lungs. When she entered the room, Pepper saw that Killian had roughed Ana up really bad. Seeing her battered like that brought tears to Pepper's eyes.

"I'll leave you alone," the nurse said politely, and took her leave.

Ana wasn't awake yet. Pepper sat down on the chair beside the bed, wondering what had gone wrong. Ana had saved her. Why she hadn't been able to save herself?

"You poor thing…"

"Mom?" Ana mumbled in her sleep.

_Mom._ Ana had just called her 'Mom.' Well, Pepper had heard about people saying strange things under anesthesia. Ana would probably not remember this. But now, Pepper knew for sure that she wanted her as her mother, and it was all that mattered.

"I'm here," she said, stroking her hair. "You're safe now."

* * *

Half an hour later, there was still no word from Tony. Pepper was starting to get worried. She was thinking of calling Rhodey when Ana woke up. This time, she was fully awake.

"Pepper?" she asked, obviously surprised.

"Hey… How are you feeling?"

"Ugh, anesthesia really sucks."

"I can call the doctor…"

"No, I'll be fine… Is Dad here?"

"No, they're still debriefing him, I think."

She nodded slowly, then said, "Pepper, I need to tell you something."

"About Tony?"

"About me. I've been lying. I've been lying to you… for two years. And you hate secrets, so…"

"Hey, take it easy. Whatever this is about, I'm sure it can wait for another day or two." Ana was speaking with some difficulty. Pepper didn't want her to push herself too hard.

"No, you need to know. It's not fair to you."

She could be even more stubborn than Tony sometimes. "Very well. You know you can tell me anything."

"I invented time-travel. And teleportation."

"What?" Maybe she was still speaking under the influence of the drugs…

"It happened after the Expo… Dad knows. I asked him to keep it from you. I didn't want you to be scared."

"Scared of what?"

She smiled feebly. "Of me. Of what I can do… I should've trusted you more. It's not that I don't love you. It's just… I didn't want… I didn't want to force you to play mother around me."

For someone who had grown up with everything at her beck and call, Ana was too scared to want anything for herself. Pepper found this sad. "Oh, Ana… I'm not _playing _anything. I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

"And I believe in you. You can never scare me."

"Thanks."

"I didn't know you were working on teleportation, though. Where did that come from?"

"I wasn't. It… it was an accident."

"How can you _accidentally _invent teleportation?"

She shrugged. Seeing that she didn't have the strength to give a more detailed explanation, Pepper left her be. Soon, Ana drifted off again.

Pepper was growing restless now. She went to look out the window and started watching the busy city outside. Miami looked beautiful in Christmas. Too bad this had been the worst Christmas for them, she thought for a moment, then felt ashamed of that thought. She was one of the lucky ones. At least she wasn't mourning anybody. Tony and Ana were alive, and there was still hope for Happy. Wounds could heal, houses could be rebuilt. But the dead couldn't be brought back to life. There were people who had actually lost their lives to Killian's fearmongering campaign. People with families. She couldn't imagine what those families must be going through.

At some point, the door opened. It was Tony.

"Finally!" Pepper exclaimed in a hushed voice, and went to kiss him. He had bruises, and cuts, too, but other than that, he was still her handsome boyfriend.

"Hey, Pep," Tony said, after kissing her back. Oh, how she had missed this, to be kissed and held by him… She was a bit embarrassed to admit that apart of her wanted to have sex with him as soon as possible, but then reminded herself that it was natural to want to have sex after a life-threatening experience, or even attending a funeral. Tony had said it had something to do with the subconscious wanting to defy death or something like that.

"What took you so long?" she asked to distract herself. The hospital wasn't the best place to have sex. Besides, she could sense that Tony wasn't… in the mood.

"Oh, boy… If the President gets kidnapped again, remind me not to get involved."

She chuckled.

"Are you okay?" he asked, studying her from head to toe.

"I'm fine."

His gaze shifted on the bed, and pain, remorse, and anger crossed his face all at once. Pepper didn't know which one was worse: Seeing how badly Ana was hurt, or how it affected Tony. There was a reason most of his enemies went after Pepper and Ana instead of attacking him directly.

"How is she doing?"

"She's been drifting on and off… God, Tony, what happened?"

"The usual drill. I made a mistake, you girls paid the price."

"Tony…"

"It's the truth." He approached Ana, took her hand, and pressed it against his lips. Around his daughter, Tony was at both his strongest and most vulnerable at the same time. "I got cocky. I thought I could take on the Mandarin and protect you two at the same time. And yet, here we are."

"She called me 'Mom' in her sleep," she said, knowing that would be enough to cheer him up, but even that didn't seem to work.

"There was a time I thought I could give her _everything_. How could I be so delusional, while I couldn't even give her a mother… until you came along."

"She doesn't ask for much, you know. Just a peaceful, happy family."

"Same as you?"

"Yes," she admitted.

"Well, maybe I can make that happen. Better late than never." He put Ana's hand down, grabbed Pepper's instead, and dragged her to the window. "Look."

"Look at what?" she asked, confused.

"JARVIS, you know what to do."

A second later, she saw the fireworks over the horizon. "I don't understand. Fireworks? I mean, sure, they're nice, but…"

"They're my suits. JARVIS is blowing them up."

"All of them?" she gasped.

"Yeah, _all_ of them. No more distractions."

"Thank you," she said, not sure what else to say. She knew what the suits meant to him. He had a great gift and the things he built were the manifestations of that gift. And yet, he had stopped, just because he knew it was what Pepper wanted.

As she watched the fireworks in his arms, she came up with an idea. The Starks were geniuses; it was unfair to ask them to go against their nature and pretend to be ordinary. Yes, Tony had just made a huge compromise, and she wanted to return the favor by making a compromise of her own. That was the only way they could be a family. If she didn't want to be left out in the future, she had to be able to keep up with them.

"Ana told me something," she started.

"Told you what?"

"Time-travel. She can really do it, can't she?"

He clicked his tongue. "In theory."

"What does that mean?"

"She needs something. A very rare element called gravitonium. Officially, it doesn't even exist."

"Well, I'm sure we can afford it."

"Money isn't the problem. Convincing Ian Quinn to accept it in exchange for gravitonium is. Ana suspected he'd found some. JARVIS hacked into the Quinnworldwide mainframe and… She's right."

Pepper knew Ian Quinn. Not personally, but she had heard the name. He was a successful businessman and a famous philanthropist who was very loud about his negative opinions on government interference in private business. He harbored a special resentment for SHIELD. "Are you sure?"

"For 20 years, he operated on 12 different mines around the world. All of a sudden, he finally stops at one. And his old friend from college, Dr. Franklin Hall, is an expert on gravitonium. I don't think it's a coincidence."

"Oh my God…" It was really happening, then. Ana was going to be the one to invent time-travel.

"She doesn't know yet. It's going to be a surprise."

"And once she has it, what's she going to do? She's not looking for her mother anymore."

"She doesn't want it to go to the past. She wants to go to the future now. For me."

Pepper understood. "She wants to see if aliens will come back…"

"Yes," he said, almost apologetically. "I'm sorry, I know this is too much for you, but—"

"Would it stop your nightmares? Permanently?"

"Yes," he said again, in the same apologetic manner.

"Then I'm in. I'll do whatever I can to help you guys."

* * *

Tony never did anything halfway. Perhaps this was why they were here, at a hospital in Beijing, to have his Arc Reactor removed by Dr. Wu. He gave Pepper, Rhodey, and Ana a thumbs up before the operation started, then a nurse drew the curtain, for which Pepper was grateful. She would never leave Tony's side, but she wasn't exactly looking forward to watching him being cut open either.

They could go back to the hotel, of course, but none of them would be willing to leave the hospital until the surgery was completed, so it hadn't even been discussed. Dr. Wu must have figured that much, too, for he had offered them a private room to wait in. They went there.

"I'm going to get coffee," Rhodey announced. "You girls want anything?"

"Coffee would be nice," Ana said, and Pepper nodded. Rhodey went to fetch the coffee.

"Ana," Pepper started, and took the necklace out of her purse. She should have given it to its rightful owner a long time ago. "I found this in the debris after the attack."

"Sigyn's magic pendant!" she gasped. "I thought it was lost forever! Thank you!"

"Don't thank me. I was almost not going to give it to you."

She had thought this might anger Ana, but it didn't. "Why not?" she just asked calmly.

"Because I was jealous."

"Of Sigyn?"

She laughed at her own pettiness. "Yes."

"Pepper, you know Dad doesn't even see other women anymore, right?"

"You misunderstand me. I never thought Sigyn could be a threat to my relationship with Tony. I thought she was a threat to my relationship with _you_."

"Seriously?"

"She was the perfect mother for you. She was the one who brought you to Tony. All your life, she looked out for you, until she was banished. She's beautiful, kind, smart. There's no way I can compete with her."

"You don't have to! Yeah, I learn a lot from her, but that's all. I just need her knowledge. And she doesn't care about me. She cares about my grandfather, who'd probably hate both you and me if he were still around. Sigyn took me to Dad to pay a debt she thought she owed for some reason. I was just the payment."

"Come here." Pepper extended her arms for Ana, who eagerly accepted the invitation and buried her head in the crook of Pepper's neck. Knowing how hard it was for Ana to trust anybody, Pepper felt incredibly lucky that she had chosen to trust her with all her heart, the way she trusted Tony. "I love you, Ana."

She pulled herself back to look her in the eye. "I love you, too. And I'm sorry if Dad and I sometimes make you feel left out. It's not like we—"

"You two have a connection. It's okay. Tony, he… he knows how your mind works. And you know how his mind works. I can't be a part of it. Still, I was hoping _this _would be enough to prove how much I care about you."

She took out the second surprise out of her bag. An invitation, to the annual Quinn Worldwide shareholders' meeting. The way Ana was beaming at her could be the best thing Pepper had ever seen.

"It's in September. You're going to have to wait for 7 months, but you have a guaranteed spot, so—"

Ana threw her arms around Pepper's neck. "Thank you!" She released her, and looked at the invitation again, as if she wanted to make sure it was real. "You have no idea what this means to me. Especially coming from you."

"You have the power to end Tony's nightmares. This is the least I can do."

Her smile faded. "What if the future _is_ a nightmare, though?"

"What if it's not? What if you prove he fears for nothing? But, Ana… You do realize this is corporate espionage, right? And Quinn is a citizen of Malta. You're not. If you get caught, you know the consequences."

"I do."

Pepper had to hope that she was doing the right thing by helping her. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to live with the regret.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter, we're officially entering the Agents of SHIELD territory! I'm super excited, because it wouldn't have been possible for me to find the inspiration for this fic without that show. For those who are not very familiar with it, I've tried to explain the stuff you need to know for the story to make sense (and hopefully, succeeded). Enjoy!

It had been 7 months since the Stark family had moved to the Avengers Tower, and truth to be told, Ana missed Malibu terribly. She now lived and worked in the same building, and although it was a nice building, sometimes she felt like she was trapped in a vertical cage. At first, she could keep herself busy by doting on her dad and Happy—heart surgery was no joke, and neither were Happy's injuries—but now that they were recovered, she didn't know what to do with herself.

"You should go out more," Bruce advised when she complained to him one afternoon in the lab.

"With whom? I don't have any friends. I mean, you are my friend but—"

"But, I'm too old for you?"

"Well, yeah," she admitted.

"Then go out alone. Go to a coffee shop, or the movies. Meet other kids at your age. You're too young to become a workaholic. Maybe even download one of those dating apps. Just don't tell Tony I suggested it."

She didn't feel like coming out to Bruce, so she simply laughed it off, and changed the subject. "I could actually use your opinion on something else."

It turned out her dad's idea of family therapy was using Bruce as a counselor, which hadn't really worked out, but at least he and Ana had become good friends. Plus, he understood the importance of emotion management better than any therapist could.

"What can I do for you?" he asked softly.

"Tomorrow, I'm leaving for Malta. My first business trip." It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. Pepper had pulled a lot of strings just to get the invitation to the Quinn Worldwide shareholders' meeting. His paranoia rivaled hers, so this was her only chance to get her hands on the gravitonium. After everything Pepper had done, it would be a shame if Ana screwed things up.

"And you're nervous?"

"Trust me, 'nervous' would be an understatement." She sprang to her feet, and started pacing up and down. "It's so frustrating, you know. I'm one of the smartest people in the world, but I might make a terrible mistake over there, because I cannot control the chemical reactions in my brain!"

"It's okay to be nervous before important events."

"It's not just that. I'd promised Dad that I would overcome my acrophobia, for example, but now that there's no immediate threat, I keep chickening out! The list goes on and on, but my point is, I cannot use my full potential because of all these stupid emotions!"

She had been using her dad's unexpected retirement as an excuse for her procrastination, saying she didn't want him to break his promise to Pepper and start building suits again just to train with Ana, but in the truth, she was just a pussy.

"Those 'stupid emotions' helped us survive the primitive ages. They exist for a reason."

"I know the basics of evolutionary biology, thank you!" she snapped.

He only responded with a patient smile, much to her remorse.

"I'm sorry. See, that's the other problem with emotions! I don't turn into a raging monster when I get angry, but I still hurt people. Especially the people I care about."

"Tell me, why are you going on this business trip?"

"It's just business," she said evasively. Just because they were friends didn't mean Ana was going to tell him about gravitonium.

"Yes, but why is business so important for you?"

"Well, I gotta think of the best interests of the company."

"The _family _company, yes… Would you still be going to Malta tomorrow if you didn't love your family so much?"

"No." It was the truth.

"See? Love is an emotion, too, and from what I see, it's the one that drives you. Even if you could somehow shut your humanity off to reach your 'potential,' as you put it, what would you use it for? What would be your purpose?"

"Nothing."

"So, the answer is not eliminating your emotions. You must learn to control them instead. That way, they can't control you."

"How?"

"Well, the key to control your body is to control your breathing. Meditation. I could teach you a few tricks."

"Where did you learn them? In India?"

"Brazil, actually."

"No offense, but I'm not one for the spiritual stuff, and meditation doesn't sound very… science-y."

"That's because the human brain is still a mystery to us."

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," she quoted Arthur C. Clarke.

"Exactly. So, my conclusion is empirical, of course, but it works for me… most of the time."

Well, what was the harm? "Okay. Teach me."

Bruce took out two yoga mats from a cabinet and spread them on the floor. He spent the rest of the day teaching her different breathing methods and how to clear her mind, observe the way her body reacted, and stuff like that. She didn't feel any different afterwards, but Bruce said she would get better at it with practice. If he was to be believed, it could even help her conquer her fear of heights.

* * *

"Happy, let me!" Ana reached to take her suitcase from Happy, but he wouldn't let her. He was yet to return to his full health, and not supposed to strain his body too much.

"Relax, Ana. It's not even heavy."

"You don't have to do this, you know. You're the Head of Security—"

"_Forehead_ of Security," her dad corrected her.

"You're not a personal driver or bodyguard! It's not in your job description anymore. Dad, say something!"

"Happy, you're my hero," he said, pressing his palms together like in prayer. "Thanks for looking out for her. I owe you a big one."

Ana had hoped he would be overprotective of Happy. She had been wrong. Both men flashed her triumphant grins. Ana rolled her eyes. "Ugh!"

"No way we're sending you alone into the lion's den, kid."

"_Lion's den_? Dad, you're being overdramatic."

Happy called for the elevator. Ana went to give her dad a hug. When they parted, they always parted on good terms, no matter what. After so many near-death experiences, it had become a habit. At least he understood why he couldn't come. Quinn wouldn't be thrilled to see an Avenger in person at his party. Neither would the shareholders. Ana didn't hate SHIELD, at least not the way Ian Quinn did, but she had created a good story to approach him; one that would lead him to think she considered him a mentor and wanted to join his crusade against SHIELD and the government. In order for this story to be convincing, she had to do this alone.

But then, her dad had taught her so much that a part of him would always be with her, no matter where she went.

"You got this, kid," he whispered. "I believe in you."

"You always do. Thanks, Dad." He was being nonchalant, but she could see the concern behind his eyes. She hugged him again before following Happy into the elevator. Bruce was right about one thing. She was doing this for her family.

But then, why was she so nervous? She didn't think her life was in danger, no. Even if she got caught, Quinn would never risk the wrath of Iron Man by harming her. He was smarter than that. Did she fear that her true motives would be revealed, people would find out gravitonium could be used for time-travel, and the research of her life would fall into the wrong hands? Hell yes. But deep down, what scared her the most was failure itself. The thought of returning home empty-handed.

* * *

It had been years since she had last been to Malta. She had forgotten how beautiful it was. Every place her dad had taken her was beautiful; she just had lost the ability to enjoy such things somewhere along the way, now she was trying to regain it. She had arrived here three days before the meeting, and this short vacation had helped her mentally prepare herself for the mission ahead. After three days of swimming, sunbathing, luxurious pampering by massages, facials and other stuff, she felt ready. The breathing techniques Bruce had taught actually started helping as well. Maybe it was just placebo effect, but as long as it worked, who cared?

"We're here," Happy announced, stopping the car in front of the entrance of Quinn's villa. Everything looked as expected. A bunch of security guards at the front door, the street full of other luxury cars, men and women in fancy clothes… Your typical shareholders' meeting.

Happy got out of the car, opened the door for her with a very serious look on his face, probably trying to appear intimidating to the others, and she emerged from the car. "Wish me luck," she whispered.

"I'll just park the car, then come find you—"

"Happy, no! You can't follow me around like a chaperone, that would look suspicious." He was visibly offended, but he had to understand. "Look, just find the other bodyguards, blend in, make small talk, see if you can learn anything of importance. I can handle myself."

"Fine. But if anything goes wrong—"

"I'll call you. Promise."

"Okay. Be careful."

"Thanks."

She turned on her heels, and walked through the door, trying to look like just another entitled rich person in pursuit of even more money and influence. At least she was no stranger to such settings. Inside, a waiter offered champagne immediately, she took a glass, and sipping the drink, made her way around the garden. Quinn would soon come to her. She was Ana Stark, after all.

"_Gravitational anomaly detected,"_ JARVIS' voice came through the comm in her ear. He was observing the place via satellite. _"It's here, Miss Stark. Main house, basement level. Only one heat signature."_

Her heart made a leap in her chest. Gravitonium was really here. She was so close…

As expected, it didn't take her long to get noticed. "Ms. Stark!"

The diplomatic smile she had learned from Pepper found its way onto her face instinctively. "Mr. Quinn. A pleasure to finally meet you."

They shook hands, and continued walking together. "Likewise. Is this your first time in Malta?"

"Hardly. But I'd almost forgotten what a beautiful country this was. Maybe I should consider becoming a citizen, like you did."

"I must admit, I never thought Stark Industries would be interested in doing business with us."

"Why not?"

"Well, considering your affiliation with the government…"

"Oh, right… Our military contracts in the past, now SHIELD…"

"And Damage Control, from what I heard?"

"And Damage Control," she confirmed. "From a more… progressive perspective such as yours, we look like a bunch of ass-kissers, don't we? I intend to change that."

He frowned skeptically, but Ana could tell he was intrigued. "That's admirable. But don't tell me your father doesn't know you're here."

"Of course he does. He just doesn't know why I'm _really_ here. You've been very straightforward with me, Mr. Quinn, so allow me to return the favor. My father… Well, he's my hero. My closest friend. And the best teacher I've ever had. But unfortunately, he has a forgiving side I don't share. You, on the other hand, inspire me. You don't tolerate anyone who wants to control you. And people like us should stick together."

"Just to be clear, are we talking about SHIELD?"

"Why do you look so surprised?"

"Perhaps because legacy means everything to you. SHIELD was a part of Howard Stark's legacy."

"So were Obadiah Stane and the Vankos," she reminded darkly.

"Speaking of, what _really _happened to Mr. Stane anyway? I'm just curious."

"He paid the Ten Rings to kidnap my dad, and hired mercenaries to kill me. When we discovered he'd been dealing under the table, he tried to kill us again. With a suit of his own."

"I never believed he died in a plane crash."

"Yes, that was the lie SHIELD told the world, and my father let them. They covered up the incident, and his reputation remains tarnished. Some still blame him for the blood that was actually on Stane's hands. Same thing with Ivan Vanko. SHIELD never let the public learn he was the son of a traitor, and that was the only reason he was able to build an Arc Reactor. Do you now see why I'm bothered, Mr. Quinn?"

He smiled. "I think you and I are going to be good friends. Let me introduce you to some of my—"

They were interrupted by a young brunette woman in a pink dress. "Ian Quinn. I'm your last-minute party crasher. Skye."

Skye… The name sounded familiar. She and Quinn shook hands. "Oh. Wow. Great to meet you." He turned to Ana. "This is Skye, a member of the Rising Tide. A group of hackers. They got some pretty big secrets out in the public."

"I prefer 'hacktivist.' I'm glad you've heard of our site."

"I read it. We think very much alike. More freedom of information, less government interfering on everyone's rights… I'm a fan."

"This does explain the invite. This is a tough party to get into."

"Not as hard to get into as the encrypted backchannel you contacted us through to request an invite."

"That's sort of where we live."

Skye. The Rising Tide. Of course! "Wait, you're the one who tried to hack into the Stark Industries mainframe a couple of months ago," Ana said.

Skye chuckled nervously. "That's me."

Quinn was now even more impressed. "Really?"

"No, I got locked out… embarrassingly fast."

Quinn seemed to like Skye, so Ana decided to compliment. "She was good, though. I appreciate talent when I see it."

"Looks like I'll have some competition, then."

Skye frowned. "Competition?"

"I've been known to turn a few black hats into white hats—not just for vulnerability analysis, but for very creative thinking."

"A-are you offering me a job?"

"I didn't invite you here for your pretty face. I didn't know you had a pretty face. Yes, I want to hire you before someone else snatches you up, like Ms. Stark here. But I think you ladies might want to get to know each other. You're absolutely right, Ms. Stark. People like us should stick together. Now, if you excuse me…"

He walked away, leaving Ana alone with Skye. Ana looked at her. She was one of those "hippies" she used to hate while growing up. But what she had told Quinn about SHIELD and her father's reputation wasn't exactly a lie. A "hacktivist" could be what she needed to get the truth out there.

Skye studied her from head to toe, whistling. "Ana Stark… Wow."

"In the flesh."

"So, am I in trouble?"

"Depends. Why did you do it?"

She shrugged. "Curiosity killed the cat."

"Not this time, Skye. When I told Quinn that you were good, I wasn't lying. Do you know how rare it is for me to meet someone who can actually challenge me? Our whole IT team couldn't stop you when you breached the firewall. They had to call me. And do you know what I had to do to lock you out? I had to reboot the systems. I was scared there might have been a leak. But now, you're here, and you don't look like someone who'd try to steal corporate data for profit. No, I think your intentions were… nobler than that. I think you wanted to see if we defend the peace in public, but build weapons of mass destruction in secret."

"Something like that," she admitted.

Ana chortled. "That's SHIELD, not us."

"SHIELD?" she asked skeptically, almost defensively.

Ana was confused. Was a Rising Tide hacker not supposed to hate SHIELD anyway? Maybe she was surprised because like Quinn, she was expecting Ana to be a SHIELD supporter. "What do you think they were doing with the Tesseract in the first place?"

Skye frowned, but it lasted only a second. Then she nodded in approval, though not very convincingly. "Yeah, typical SHIELD… Why am I not surprised?"

"_Miss Stark, this is your window."_

Quinn was on the podium now. "Let's hear what our host has to say, shall we?" Ana said to Skye.

"Yeah."

They parted ways. Ana pretended to listen to his speech for about a minute, then slipped away when he was not looking her way, and strode inside the house. But there was a problem. Skye was right behind her. She seemed even more nervous, but Ana didn't think she was coming after her. No, she had her own agenda.

JARVIS was right. There were no guards in sight. The two girls stood in the doorway awkwardly for a moment, facing each other, then Ana said, "Hey, your business is your business. I'll just mind my own."

Skye sighed in obvious relief. "I'll do the same. Going upstairs?"

"Downstairs, actually."

"Okay. Good luck."

"You, too."

She nodded to show her appreciation, and Ana did the same. They parted ways again, this time for real.

"Still one heat signature?"

"_Yes, miss,"_ JARVIS said.

"Got it. Going offline now."

Ana took out the comm and put on a pair of protective earpieces. It was odd that there was only one man guarding something so valuable as gravitonium, but then, maybe he was one hell of a bodyguard. Still, whoever he was, he wouldn't stand a chance against the Sonic Taser.

The entire basement level was dedicated to R&D. Gravitonium had to be in one of these labs. There was a window on every door, which made her job easier. And finally, she found it. A huge cluster of unstable gravitonium, floating in mid-air, behind a glass panel. She was right. Gravitonium was real. But there was no bodyguard in the room. The heat signature JARVIS had detected turned out to be Dr. Franklin Hall's.

Slowly, she opened the door and entered. Dr. Hall, who had been working on something frantically—a gravity field generator that was about 12 feet in diameter—looked up.

"Hello, Dr. Hall. I'm Ana Stark."

"I know who you are," he muttered, and returned to his work.

Gingerly, she approached him. "Well, this looks… promising. So much potential. Don't you agree?"

"You're not supposed to be here."

"Please. I'm not a thief. I'm just asking for a chance to explain myself."

"I don't have time for that."

"This is raw gravitonium, right? Unstable. I can tell you how to stabilize it. Not just stabilize it, but also how to intensify the gravity fields."

"Have you worked with gravitonium before?" he asked, like a professor talking to his student. Good. He was coming around. Maybe.

"I've worked with simulations. Simulations based on _your _research. I can show you."

"Not interested."

_Shit_. The amount of gravitonium Quinn had found was a lot more than she had expected. It wasn't something she could just slip into her purse and walk away. She didn't want to leave such a dangerous material to a man like Ian Quinn, but she didn't want to risk getting caught either. Hall didn't seem to really care about her presence here, but Quinn would probably be a lot less tolerant of intruders. She shouldn't be greedy. She should turn off the generator, grab the amount of gravitonium she needed for one temporal roundtrip or two, and get the hell out of Malta.

She approached Dr. Hall, one hand in her pocket of jacket, and realized she had been wrong to assume he was trying to stabilize the element. No, he was turning it into a bomb. He was trying to kill everyone here.

He paused, and they looked at each other. Dr. Hall with defiance, and she with incredulity. "Why?" she gasped.

"I can't let Quinn have this power."

Interesting. If he wasn't on Quinn's side, she might have a chance to have _all_ of the gravitonium. "Then help _me_! I can get both you and the gravitonium out of here, but I need you to cooperate. Gravitonium will be safe at Stark Industries, you know that. You can keep working on it in a safer environment. Believe me, sir, I know the fear of your life's work falling into the wrong hands. I won't let that happen to you, I swear!"

Maybe she should have consulted with Pepper first before offering Dr. Hall a job, but she had had to improvise under these circumstances. Besides, she was the Chief Technologist. The whole R&D department was her responsibility. She could hire whoever the hell she wanted.

"You think you're better than him? No."

It looked like he wouldn't hear any of it. Well, she had tried…

"I'm sorry, Dr. Hall," she said, and activated the Sonic Taser in her pocket. He grunted in pain, and Ana caught him before he collapsed and hit his head. She didn't want to kill him. She remembered the pain of being subjected to a Sonic Taser. Once again, she was on the giving end of cruelty for a change, but this time, she took no pleasure from it. Franklin Hall was a brilliant scientist whose judgment was just clouded with fear. She didn't want his blood on her hands. Gently, she dragged him to a corner and left him there, making sure he was comfortable enough.

"This will only last fifteen minutes. Everything's going to be alright. I'll put gravitonium to good use, I promise," she said sweetly.

She returned to the computer, reversed the process and shut the generator down. It would take some time for the gravitonium to be fully discharged, so there was nothing to do but wait.

"Look at you," Hall said. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he had regained the ability to speak. "You've risked your life just to get here. This is greed!"

"I'm not doing this for money!"

"Only because money is not what you need. No, you crave something else. Power. As if you don't have enough of that already. For your kind, it's never enough."

"Dr. Hall, please… This is the only thing that can end my father's nightmares. The only thing that can ensure the safety of our planet. To see what's coming—"

The door flew open, and a familiar voice asked, "Dr. Hall?"

Ana gasped. "Coulson?"

Coulson looked like someone who had been caught red-handed, but he kept his cool. "Oh, hello, Ana. What are you doing here?"

"Not much," she said sarcastically. "Just stopping Hall from killing us all."

Coulson turned to him. "Dr. Hall? Is that true?"

Hall remained silent, but someone else must have confirmed it through Coulson's comm, because his expression changed into one of betrayal. "Why?"

"To bury it in the ocean. With him. All petitions, embargos couldn't stop him. He grows more powerful every day. Then I get word he's found this. Sorry, Mr. Coulson. I had to make a choice."

Ana walked up to Coulson. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Dr. Hall was a SHIELD asset. We thought he was kidnapped."

"Oh, come now, Coulson. We both know I'm not talking about the mission."

Coulson was about to say something, but his eyes widened in panic at the sight of something behind her. Ana turned to look, and realized it was Dr. Hall, who had made a leap towards the control board and restarted the generator.

"Shit!" Ana made her own leap to stop him, but she slipped and fell down.

What happened afterwards felt like it was happening both too fast and in slow motion at the same time. The generator regained acceleration, pulling everyone and everything in the room towards itself. Ana tried to hold onto something, but before she could do that, she hit her head, and everything went dark.

* * *

When she came back, something was wrong about her surroundings. She was lying on the glass panel that separated the gravity field generator from the rest of the lab, and everything around her was upside down. Quite literally. The right heel of her stiletto was broken. Her ankle had been twisted, and was throbbing painfully. Yeah, it was never a good idea to wear heels in a lab…

Coulson and Hall were_ standing_ on the same panel. The latter had a glass of drink in one hand and a gun in the other, pointed at Coulson. He didn't have a gun when Ana had entered, so he must have taken it from Coulson.

"Coulson?"

"Ana? You alright?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Stay close to me. I'll get us out of here."

She sat up, but when her hand went to her pocket, the Sonic Taser wasn't there, although she still had the earplugs on. Shit.

The generator started accelerating again, making them sway from side to side and shifting the floor beneath them. This time, they ended up on one of the walls. Ana took off her stilettos, and limped to Coulson's side, barefoot. At least it was safer this way.

"All I had to do to get access to Quinn's lab is to drop little clues, create a puzzle for him to solve. Quinn likes to feel smart."

"So, you leaked your location… Why not reason with him?"

"You can't reason with an addict! And he's addicted to exploiting opportunities! So is she! They give no thought to the friends, the ecosystem, future generations left ruined in their wake!"

"I don't know about Quinn, but I know Ms. Stark. She's a good person. Like Agents Fitz and Simmons, your former students. I've got them in my ear right now, telling me you're not a bad guy. We could've worked with you on this."

"SHIELD? SHIELD is just as guilty of the same thing! Experimentation without a thought of consequence! Your search for an unlimited power source brought an alien invasion."

"Don't waste your breath," Ana advised Coulson. "I've tried offering him a job. It didn't work."

"I don't know, he's actually making a fair point about the alien invasion."

Was Coulson _openly_ criticizing SHIELD? This was new…

Suddenly, Ana spotted the Sonic Taser on the ground, beside the knocked over table behind them. Knowing she couldn't run, she waited for the next gravity pull, and used it to made a quick forward roll to pick the device up while Hall was trying to regain his balance. He could still shoot her, but it was a risk she was willing to take.

"Hey!"

Ana had got the device.

The scientist sneered bitterly. "You won't use that. You have protective earplugs, but Coulson doesn't."

"And that's why you're not going to shoot him." If he shot Coulson, Ana would be free to stop Hall. "Oh, and you're wrong. It was our vulnerability that brought the aliens. Cowards like you hold us back from catching up with the rest of the universe! If things stay as they are right now, we're all doomed. Caution is a luxury we can no longer afford!"

The floor shifted once more, and Coulson used this opportunity to charge at him, while Ana focused on holding her only weapon securely in her palm. Coulson disarmed Hall, and took his gun back. They were standing on the glass panel again. She scrambled to her feet, trying not to put too much weight on her right foot.

"I see the future, Mr. Coulson! And it's a catastrophy!"

"I just see a lot of people in trouble." He yanked a cable hanging on his right. Of course, it didn't do anything.

"Coulson, if cutting the power worked, I would've done it myself."

"Fitz-Simmons are telling me to find a catalyst… What does that mean?"

"No, that's not an option." Adulterating the element would make it completely unusable.

"Why not?"

"Because she wants to use the gravitonium herself later," Hall said when she remained silent. "See? That's my point! She's willing to die for it!"

"My dad needs it. Coulson, please! I can't return home empty-handed!"

"Ana, I don't think Stark needs you to die either."

"I'm not going to die! I just need to come up with a different angle…"

He turned to Hall. "It's not too late to do the right thing. Help me find a catalyst!"

"I _am_ doing the right thing! Completely selfless act. I know that history never celebrates what didn't happen. They'll call this a tragedy. They won't understand the good I did here."

Through the door window, Ana could see Skye, with another man. Probably an agent. This was getting even weirder…

"Killing innocent people?" Coulson asked.

"Saving millions. We have to live with the choices we make. But sometimes, we had to die with them, too."

Coulson lowered his weapon. "I understand. You made a hard call."

"Yes."

"And now, I have to make mine."

He pulled the trigger. He didn't shoot directly at Hall, though, just the glass beneath his feet.

"NO!" Coulson had guessed right. The human body could work as a catalyst.

The glass beneath them was shattering, too. Coulson held onto a cable, and grabbed Ana by the arm before she followed Hall into the gravitonium below. It had been a close call.

The generator stopped, the room returned to its normal alignment. That was when Skye stormed in, with the other guy. She was soaking wet.

"You were a SHIELD agent?" Ana cried.

"She's a Consultant," Coulson explained.

Damn, she should have known. Typical SHIELD. She looked at the gravitonium. To her surprise, it hadn't petrified like she had feared. Maybe it was the catalyst being a living organism that had made the difference.

"Ana? Is everything alright?" Happy barged in next, with his gun out. His jaw dropped open when he saw Coulson. "Wait, is that…"

"Put the weapon down!" the other SHIELD agent yelled, now pointing his own gun at Happy.

"Agent Ward, calm down," Coulson said. "Nobody here wants to hurt anybody… Right, Ana?"

Ana gestured Happy to put his gun away, then removed her own earplugs to prove she had no intention to use the Sonic Taser. Now they could negotiate. She had a million questions for Coulson, true, but her priority was still the gravitonium.

"Coulson," she started. "I don't know what you guys are doing here, but it's none of my business. I'm here for the gravitonium. Let me just take it, and be on my way."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that."

"I thought you agreed SHIELD couldn't be trusted with such things anymore."

"Yeah, but that comment was off the record. Besides, gravitonium is not mine to just hand over to you."

"In that case, I want to have a word with Director Fury."

"Now?"

"Yes, now."

"That's quite a demand."

"Oh, don't worry, he always has time for me."

"Very well. I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, you and Mr. Hogan are coming with us."


	34. Chapter 34

"So, how are your folks doing?" Coulson asked casually as they walked towards his new, fancy plane. Fury must have given him one hell of a promotion after dying at the hands of Loki, and then coming back to life somehow. He now commanded his own mobile response team.

"Dad's retired. Pepper's wondering how long it will last, but other than that, everything's fine."

"I'm sorry about the whole Mandarin incident, by the way," he said, and looking at Happy, who was visibly frustrated, and added, "I'm glad you're doing alright, Mr. Hogan."

"You have no right to arrest us!"

"We're not _arresting _you. Like you said, we have no authority in Malta. This is more of a… cooperation. A mutually beneficial agreement."

Ana nodded. "Absolutely… So, what about _you_? How did you survive?"

"That's classified."

"That line never gets old, does it?"

They had boarded the plane. Coulson led them directly into a lab, separated from the rest of the cargo bay by glass doors. There were two scientists who were about the same age as Ana. "Let Agent Simmons take a look at that foot, okay? I'll let the Director know you request a meeting."

"Thanks."

"Hello, I'm Jemma Simmons," the female scientist extended her hand. "Biochemistry."

"Leopold Fitz. Engineering," the other one introduced himself next. They both seemed a bit starstruck.

"Nice to meet you guys," Ana said politely.

Simmons then made Ana take a seat. "What happened?"

"I sprained my right ankle. Nothing too serious."

"We'll see about that," she said in a sweet, but stern tone.

In the meantime, Agent Ward was supervising the transportation of the gravitonium. It was brought into the lab as well, and Ana could feel the man's suspicious gaze on herself. Fitz showed him where to place the container. After putting it down, Ward leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and kept glaring at Ana.

"I'm not going to steal it," she was compelled to say at last. "Wouldn't want to get dear old Coulson into any trouble."

"You couldn't even if you wanted to," Ward defied her.

"It's for time-travel, isn't it?" Fitz broke in. "That's your key component…"

_Damn_. Fitz seemed to mean well; he was probably just asking out of scientific curiosity, but Ana didn't want to discuss anything that was related to gravitonium until she met Fury himself.

"Alright, can everybody _please_ give my patient some space?" Simmons scolded them while she scanned Ana's ankle with a portable X-ray, and that was enough to make the men go quiet. Even Agent Ward.

"Thanks," Ana whispered.

"You're welcome. You were right, by the way. It's just a small tear in the ATFL, but I recommend that you don't wear heels again for at least for three weeks."

"Easy enough." She turned to Happy, who was standing right next to her, and refusing to let her out of his sight. "Happy, you got my flats?"

She was never a big fan of high heels in the first place. She only wore them because she was expected to, and always carried a pair of flats for situations like these.

"Here." He took them out of his bag, and once Simmons was done bandaging her ankle, helped her put them on.

"I still can't believe Dr. Hall wanted to murder innocent people," Simmons lamented as she put her tools away. "May I ask what happened between you two?"

"I wasn't the one who drove him over the edge, if that's what you're asking. His plan was already in motion by the time I found him."

"Of course," she said apologetically. "No one's blaming you. It's just… He was such a nice person at the Academy… You've never seen the Academy, have you?"

"No. Perhaps one day. But I'd love to take a look around the Bus now, if that's okay," she excused herself. The lab here was pretty cool, and Coulson's Team Science was amiable, but they were definitely going to keep asking her about the gravitonium if she stayed here. She thanked Simmons again, and leaning on Happy for support, walked out.

"Can I just go back and punch that Agent Ward in the face?" he muttered angrily as the glass doors whooshed closed after them.

"It wouldn't end well for you, Happy. No offense, but I think he's a Specialist. You don't mess with a SHIELD Specialist."

"I'd take my chances."

"Happy…"

"He's treating you like a criminal!"

"He treats everyone like a criminal. It's his job."

"Okay, okay… Are you sure about seeing Fury? I mean, you freak out every time you deal with that guy!"

"I'm not like that anymore. I can handle him."

When they went upstairs, the first thing they found was a bar. Ana decided they could help themselves, and started browsing the shelves. She could use a drink right now.

"You could've just called the police, you know. These guys weren't supposed to be there. We could've just taken that thing and be on our way home."

"And condemn them to death? Just because I'm willing to take more risks now doesn't mean I'm a murderer, Happy! And this is Coulson we're talking about!"

Happy frowned in confusion. "But they're SHIELD agents. I mean, they would've found a way out, right?"

"The international laws are very clear. They don't make exceptions for anybody."

Someone cleared her throat to get their attention. Skye. She had changed into dry clothes—a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans—and was now drying her hair with a towel. Coulson had said she had jumped into a pool while running from Quinn. She looked like she wanted to have a word with Ana, so Ana asked Happy to give them a moment. The request must have confused him, but he left them alone nevertheless.

Skye grabbed two bottles of beer, and handed one to Ana. "So, you met Fitz-Simmons? They're pretty cool."

"They are. But Agent Ward looked like he wanted to murder me and bury me in an unmarked grave, so…"

She laughed. "Ward's cool, too. Once you get to know him better. Wait until you meet May. She has the power to stare you to death."

"And you?"

"What about me?"

"What are you, really? A double agent? A _triple_ agent?" Of course, Skye wouldn't be honest with her if that was the case. Ana was just curious what her answer was going to be.

"Just a Consultant."

"Trust me, there's no such thing as 'just a Consultant' in SHIELD."

"What you told Quinn at the party… Do you really have something against SHIELD? Or were you just trying to earn Quinn's trust?"

Ana decided to be honest. Her distaste for SHIELD was no secret anyway. "My problem with SHIELD is not a matter of ideology, or a conflict of interests. It's more… personal."

"At the risk of being nosy, what is it?"

"I owe SHIELD my life, that's a fact. When my dad was in Afghanistan, Obadiah Stane sent mercs to kill me. Luckily, SHIELD had been watching. I wouldn't have survived the night if it hadn't been for them. They kept me and Pepper in a safe house until Dad was found. One day Fury visited us, said he wanted to make a deal with me. He wanted my research—"

"Time-travel?"

Ana gave her a questioning look. How did she know?

"Fitz said it was your thing. Anyway, what happened with Fury?"

"He offered me the truth in return. The truth about my mother. I didn't know who she was. Her wish to remain anonymous is just a lie we tell to the press."

Skye's smile faded, and she became rigid, like she was holding her breath. For some reason, she was intrigued. "But Fury didn't keep his promise?"

"No. He did."

"What was the problem, then?"

"I didn't like the answers I found. It's hardly Fury's fault, I know. But he just dangled the hope before me, and I fell for the trap. Makes me feel like shit."

"I'm sorry." Ana could see that she meant it. She _was _sorry. Such genuine sympathy was a rare thing from an acquaintance.

"Thanks. Most people would think I'm just being a whiny bitch."

"You're not being a whiny bitch. I'd be pissed, too."

This gave her the impression that Skye didn't come from a happy family either. She looked like she was preparing to tell her about it, so Ana remained silent and let her sort her thoughts out.

"I grew up in New York," she started. "Mostly. Saint Agnes Orphanage. I was in the system, of course. But I never fit in anywhere. Always back in Saint Agnes, until the nuns would find me another home. They all knew I was a lost cause, but they never stopped trying either." She chuckled bitterly.

"Is that why you're here? Do you think SHIELD's resources can help you find your parents?"

She looked around quickly, leaned closer, and whispered, "I, uhm… I found some redacted SHIELD files. Maybe they were agents, maybe it's something else. But the others don't know it yet."

Ana didn't know if this was a typical SHIELD trick to earn her trust and make her reveal why she wanted the gravitonium, or this girl had chosen to instantly trust her with such a personal secret. Maybe they were indeed bonding over a mutual understanding. When you were a doorstep baby, it didn't matter if it was the doorstep of an orphanage in New York, or a mansion in Malibu. Besides, they weren't just doorstep babies. They were doorstep-babies-who-were-somehow-connected-to-SHIELD, which meant that their family history was a bit more complicated than your average orphan's. Ana decided to give Skye the benefit of doubt unless it became more obvious that this was an interrogation in disguise.

"They won't hear it from me. But Skye… Be careful. I know how this search feels. You think you're prepared for the worst, but it can always be worse than you imagine."

"Even so, I have to know."

"Yeah, I know that, too. Damned if you do, damned if you don't…"

"How bad was yours?"

Ana decided to be honest once again. "My dad met her at Cambridge. They were both grad students. Then, he dropped out when his parents died, and she, when she got sick. Breast cancer. She was already dying when she gave birth to me. She'd thought of getting an abortion, of course, but her parents guilt-tripped her out of that option. I was their unexpected retirement bonus. They wanted to use me to milk money from Dad."

"Oh…"

"But my mother became more vindictive after the birth. She wanted me to grow up in an orphanage. That was her last wish. I guess she wanted to do something that would spite _everybody_ before she died. You know what they say. _Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned_. Then a SHIELD Consultant got involved, erased their memories, dropped me on Dad's doorstep."

Her eyes widened in amazement. "Erased their memories? Who was this Consultant?"

"It's probably classified, but she doesn't work for SHIELD anymore, so—"

"Is she dead?"

"No, not that. She's an Asgardian. Well, half-human, half-Asgardian, but she was raised in Asgard. Her name's Sigyn. She's Loki's wife."

She gaped at her. "No way!"

"She's one of the good guys, though. She's not like Loki. Odin sent her here after WWII, as the guardian of the Tesseract, she became good friends with Grandpa Stark, and has been looking out for him and his family ever since, at least until Odin banished her after New York, for remaining neutral during the battle. My 1000-year-old alien fairy godmother."

"Holy shit, that's actually cool! I mean, sad… but cool."

"Yeah, I'm grateful to her for taking me to my dad."

"What is it like? To be Tony Stark's daughter?"

Ana thought for a moment. She never had a full answer to that question. She had her cookie-cutter answers, for interviews and such; it was a question she heard a lot, after all. Of course, there were many honest answers she could give as well, but she didn't want to say anything that might offend Skye. For Ana, a childhood in an orphanage was just a nightmare that had never come true. For Skye, it was her reality.

"We have a good life," she finally said. "I try not to take it for granted. I only wish we were allowed to enjoy it in peace, away from the prying eyes. I've never been one for the celebrity scene. Maybe I love my privacy a bit too much."

"Yeah, but you're not the Ice Queen they say you are either."

She snorted. Funny, hearing that didn't bother her as much as it would have in the past. Maybe she had finally learned not to give a shit. "Is that what they call me these days?"

"I think people are just pissed because you turned out to be the 'all work, no play' type. You don't give them much gossip material."

"I'm not fun, I know."

"Ana?" Coulson broke in. "I just got word from Director Fury. He'll see you at the Triskelion."

Ana flashed a triumphant grin at him. "Told ya."

* * *

During the remainder of the flight, everyone was respectful enough not to say anything about gravitonium. The Bus landed on an airfield in DC, but it wasn't anywhere near the Triskelion. There was an SUV with a SHIELD logo waiting on the tarmac.

"We're not coming with you," Coulson said.

"Yeah, you have precious cargo to take care of."

He frowned.

"I know, I know, it's classified…"

"You just keep doing what you do best."

"Which is?"

"Being a good civilian."

She laughed. "I'm glad you're okay, Coulson."

"Yeah, me, too."

Next, she shook hands with Fitz-Simmons. Skye gave her a hug. They had exchanged e-mail addresses, so they would keep in touch. Agent Ward was nowhere to be seen, thankfully, and she had never met the Agent May Skye had been talking about because she was the pilot.

Happy gave everyone a curt nod, and followed Ana into the SUV. About half an hour later, there were at the Triskelion. Agent Hill was expecting them. She told Happy to stay in the lobby. He didn't like it, of course, but he knew better than arguing with Maria Hill. Ana gave him a reassuring _"I got this," _look before following her into the elevator. Ana's and Hill's pictures appeared on a small panel on the right.

"Fury's office," Hill said.

"Confirmed," a robotic, female voice responded.

Neither Ana nor Hill bothered with small talk during the ride, so they were both quiet. When the elevator stopped and the door slid open, Hill gestured her to go ahead, but didn't come after her. She probably had somewhere else to be.

Fury's office was right ahead. There was a door with his name on it. She entered without knocking. There was no need. Surely, he knew she was here.

She found him sitting at his desk. He was in a good mood; his face basically said,_ "I knew one day you'd come here."_

Yeah, he had got what he wanted. Surprisingly, it didn't anger her. Fury was just doing his duty, just like she was doing hers. A battle of egos wouldn't benefit either party.

"Hello, Ana. I wasn't expecting to hear from you any time soon. What brings you here?"

"Would you believe me if I said I missed you?"

"No, but I appreciate the courtesy. Take a seat."

She did, and they observed each other across the desk for a moment, until Ana said, "Funny, you're a lot… friendlier than I remember."

"So are you."

"Well, I've recently come to the conclusion that I might have misjudged you."

"May I ask why?" He got off from his chair, went to a cabinet, took out a bottle of Scotch and two glasses.

"Ever since New York, there's a question my dad and I keep asking. I bet you ask it, too."

He put the bottle and the glasses on the desk. "Who the hell gave Loki an army?" he voiced said question.

She knew she wasn't going to be disappointed. "Unfortunately, we might be the only ones asking that question."

"I'm starting to think I might've misjudged you, too."

"Really?"

"When we first met, I didn't keep part of the truth from you because I was trying to manipulate you, Ana. I kept it because I thought the whole truth would be too much for you to handle. I was wrong, wasn't I?"

"You mean, would I have respected you more if I'd known what your job truly entails? Oh, yes. Absolutely."

"That is good to know." He poured the drinks, and offered her a glass. "So, shall we start over? This time, just one rule: All cards on the table."

"You? All cards on the table?" she asked, amused. There was no way Fury would reveal all his secrets to anybody.

"You don't believe me?"

"Do you even expect me to?"

"Okay. Ask me."

"Ask you what?"

"Anything. Whatever you want to know right now."

She decided to start with the most predictable question to see where this would go. "How is Coulson still alive?"

"Secure office," he said, and the windows around them darkened. "Open Project TAHITI files."

"Ana Maria Stark does not have the Clearance Level to see those files," the computer said.

"Director override, Nicholas J. Fury."

"Confirmed."

The files appeared on the huge screen across the wall. He clicked on one picture, the picture of a dead, blue alien in a cryo chamber. "Do you know what this is?" he asked.

"A Kree."

"Do you know why it was found on this planet?"

"Thousands of years ago, they experimented on different species, including humans, to create their own supersoldiers. Rumor has it those experiments were successful, though the government on Hala denies it. Oh, there's also the fact that the Accusers were almost going to bomb the shit out of the Earth back in the 90s. I assume that has something to do with a pager you keep… somewhere around here?"

He seemed equally amused. "Sigyn has been teaching you well, I see."

"I'm not naive enough to think Earth had never been threatened before New York… Anyway, what does this have to do with Coulson?"

"We've been harvesting the blue guy's bodily fluids to produce various drugs. One of them, GH.325 is used to bring people back from the dead. Project TAHITI was originally created to bring back a dead Avenger, but Coulson earned his place among them after everything he did. Too bad he'll never know it."

"Why not?"

"Because the drug has side effects."

"How bad?"

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it: All test subjects went insane. The doctors were never able to find out why. The only solution was to overwrite their memories… Remember Agent Rebecca Stevens?" He showed her a picture of the first SHIELD agent Ana had met.

"What about her?"

"Shortly after that night in Malibu, Stevens was diagnosed with cancer. She was chosen to be one of the subjects. We managed to save her, now she thinks she's an art teacher from Iowa."

"And if he died, you'd give this shit to my dad, too? Just curious, would I even get a consent form, you know, as his only immediate family?"

"There are many who aren't comfortable with how I do things, Ana. If you're one of them, there's the door."

She wasn't, and they both knew it. If he died, she would give her father the drug with her own hands. She would agree to anything to have him back, no matter how reckless, unethical, or preposterous it was. Consequences be damned.

"Ever since Carol, I've been waiting for a team of heroes like this. I'm not losing _any_ of them."

"Speaking of, where's that woman now?"

"Well, certainly not anywhere close."

"If she's as powerful as Sigyn says she is, we should bring her into the fold."

"That's the thing. Carol doesn't particularly feel responsible for humanity."

"But that's ridiculous! She is human!"

"She only has fragments of her human life. The memories the Kree changed never fully came back to her. Carol Danvers is only a last resort. Besides, she and Sigyn didn't exactly part on good terms. Carol was pissed because Sigyn helped SHIELD cover up the plane crash. Even Carol's best friend and her kid thought she was dead."

"I didn't know that... What about the Skrulls?"

"Talos and I keep in touch, but they're still recovering from their own wars."

"Okay."

"Now it's your turn to answer my question." Of course, such highly classified information would come at a price. Fury wanted something from her.

"Bring it on."

"Why do you want the gravitonium?"

"Time-travel." He must have guessed it by now anyway.

"Why time-travel?"

"Come on, Fury. You know why."

"A self-made prophet. That's what you want to become."

"'Self-made prophet' actually sounds pretty badass."

"I thought time was fixed. In fact, you were the one who told me that."

"We have a chance if the multiverse theory is true."

"And if it's not?"

"If it's not, we're screwed, yeah. But we have to take this one risk. There's no other way to know."

"What if there is? What if I told you there was a way to know _everything_?"

"And what way is that?"

"Show us the Darkhold files."

"Ana Maria Stark does not have the Clearance Level to access those files," the computer said again.

"Director override, Fury, Nicholas J."

"Confirmed."

Ana couldn't help but roll her eyes. Thank goodness JARVIS wasn't dumb like this. "What's this?" she asked, looking at the picture of the book that had an ambigram of the word "Darkhold" on it. Yeah, it didn't look ominous at all.

"This is the Darkhold, also known as the Book of Sins, or Book of Spells. It's a book that contains infinite knowledge. They say it was written eons ago, in the depths of hell."

"You have it?"

"No. No one knows where it is. But I've come closer than anyone else. Thanks to you."

"Me?" she asked, taken aback.

"You remember your internship at Momentum Labs, right? Your bosses were talking about a magic book that showed you everything you want to know. You and Tony joked about it."

_In Monaco. While Romanoff was spying on us._ Upon connecting the dots, she started laughing. She hadn't seen such an obvious thing coming, to be honest. She wondered how long Fury had been waiting for this moment. _Being the Director of SHIELD must be fun at times._

"So, the Bauers weren't crazy after all?"

"Unlikely, at least until they found what they were looking for."

He clicked on another picture. This time, files about the Bauers were on the screen. "Lucy Bauer is dead," he said. "She died in 2012, her body still missing, along with the bodies of several employees. Shortly afterwards, another employee, Eli Morrow, beat Joseph Bauer into a coma. He hasn't woken up yet. Momentum Labs was shut down after this."

"Are you saying these people were fighting over the book?"

"What else would they be fighting over?"

Could it be that simple? Just read a book, and it would show you how to stop aliens? Not just that, but everything else you wanted to know as well…

"What's the catch?" she asked. "Infinite knowledge… I'm not an idiot, Fury. That sounds too good to be true."

"It's said to corrupt the human mind."

"So, if I read the book, I'll go crazy?"

"Not immediately, but over time, yeah."

"Oh."

"It doesn't have to be you, Ana. Truth to be told, I'd hate to do something like that to you."

_But it has to be me_, she thought._ I want it. I want to know everything._ _Everything to protect this world._ Despite all its flaws, she wanted to protect Earth, so, she had no doubt it was what the Darkhold would show her. "What if we can cheat the damn thing?"

"Like a loophole?"

"Yes. You said you can erase memories. You've obviously erased Coulson's. So, you got the tech?"

He nodded.

"Here's the plan: I read the book, build whatever I need to build, using the knowledge… in total isolation. And once we're done, you erase my memories. What do you say?"

"It_ might_ work."

"I'll design the isolation chamber myself."

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm the only one who can outsmart me. No offense, but your scientists don't stand a chance."

He sighed. "And people say Tony is arrogant…"

"I'm being realistic."

"Speaking of, we need the book itself first. I still don't know where it is. Maybe Joseph Bauer does. If he wakes up from the coma, can you convince him to tell you?"

"I thought he and his wife were crazy, but I kept those thoughts to myself. We parted on good terms. So, yeah, I think I can convince him."

"You do that, and if everything works out, I'll even let you have the gravitonium afterwards. How is that for a deal?"

Ana drained her Scotch, and smiled. "Sounds awesome."

She rose to her feet. They shook hands. Then Ana turned on her heels and walked out of the office. She returned to the lobby alone, and tried to look as disappointed as possible. Even though there was a loophole she could exploit, that book sounded pretty dangerous. Her dad could never know about it.

"Well?" Happy asked.

"The son of a bitch won't let us have it!"

"Don't worry too much about it. You and Tony will find another way. You guys always do."

"Can we just go home?" she whined.

"Yeah, I took care of that while you were with Fury. There's a company jet ready at the airport. Do you want me to rent a car, or…"

"Let's just hail a cab."

"Yeah, okay." He sighed, and patted on her back to comfort her. Ana was now feeling truly awful. Lying to Happy was bad enough, lying to her dad would be even worse. She knew he hated lies, but once this worked out, once they never had to fear aliens again, he would understand. She hoped he would.

* * *

It was good to be back in the tower after everything she had been through. Sure, things hadn't gone as planned, but there was still hope. If Ana could use the Darkhold to prove that the future could be changed—and honestly, it would be good to know that for sure before causing a disruption in spacetime continuum, so she couldn't blame Fury for his caution—she would have the gravitonium, along with everything else she needed to protect her family. One door had been closed, but a second, bigger one was now open.

The private elevator took her to the penthouse common area, where Pepper was watching the late-night news and drinking tea while waiting for her.

"Hey, Pepper," Ana greeted her, careful not to sound too happy for someone who had returned home empty-handed.

Pepper hugged her. "Welcome home."

"Where's Dad?"

"He's in your room, actually. He wants to have a word with you."

Of course, he wanted to know what had happened with Fury this time. She wasn't looking forward to this part.

"Don't worry, he just wants to give you a pep talk," Pepper added quickly. "In case you're blaming yourself… You're not blaming yourself, right?"

"I'm trying not to."

"Ana, you couldn't have known about Hall. And you certainly couldn't have known about SHIELD."

"Yeah, I know. I'm not a self-made prophet… yet."

"I can't believe they lied to us about Phil! Why would they do that?"

_Because if anything happens to Dad, Fury is going to resurrect him with alien juice, and erase his memories to maintain his sanity._ "I got no idea."

"Well, you better not keep Tony waiting. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Pep."

She kissed Pepper's cheek, and headed for her apartment. And the moment she entered, she burst into giggles. After barely surviving the cataclysmic schemes of a mad scientist, and then making a secret deal with a super-spy to read an ancient demonic grimoire to protect the planet from aliens, there was something tragically absurd about coming home and seeing that your father had built a pillow fort for you, with blankets, Christmas lights, snacks and everything.

"Dad!"

He poked his head out of the fort. "Hey, kid! Come on in."

Still giggling, she crawled inside. There was nothing he wouldn't do just to cheer her up.

"Cozy, huh?" he asked. "I thought maybe it could make you feel home."

Ana still hadn't been able to embrace the apartment as her new home. She hadn't even bothered to decorate it. The walls and surfaces were mostly bare. Some of her stuff was still stored away in boxes. It felt more like a hotel room than an actual living space.

"Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome."

"I don't even remember when was the last time I built a pillow fort."

"June 21, 1998," he said. "Father's Day. I had a hangover as usual. You'd woken up early and set up the fort in the living room. You were waiting for me with a glass of water and an Alka-Seltzer tablet. Oh, and my Father's Day gift. Armani cufflinks. Pretty elegant choice of gift for a six-year-old."

She remembered now, but only vaguely. The cufflinks were Rhodey's idea. She wasn't old enough to buy such expensive things on her own back then, so she would drag either Happy or Rhodey to shopping with her. "You remember everything, don't you?" she asked incredulously.

"How can I forget?"

Ana sighed, unable to believe she had to go behind this man's back from now on.

He grabbed a handful of M&Ms from a bowl and stuffed them into his mouth. "So, tell me all about it."

"Didn't Happy tell you everything on the phone?"

"Yeah, but I want to hear it from you."

She told him everything. Everything, except the deal she had made with Fury.

"What if Coulson hadn't stopped Hall?" he asked after she was finished. "Would you have stayed there until he sank the whole place?"

"But, Dad, you needed—"

"It's not more important than you! Nothing is more important than you! There're other ways to prepare for aliens. But if I lose you, that's it. I _lose_. So, don't put yourself in danger like that again."

_Yeah, except I have to. _Ana was about to give him a big hug when her phone pinged. It was a message from an encrypted line.

"_Gravitonium is in the Fridge. Location classified._

_Good luck ;)"_

Ana couldn't believe her eyes. Maybe, she didn't have to kiss Fury's ass to get the gravitonium and count on a magic book, after all. One could never have too many contingency plans. She didn't know where this Fridge was located, but she could worry about that later.

"Huh…"

"Who's that?" he asked.

"Skye, I think." She showed him the message.

"Why is she helping us?"

Ana smiled. "I think I've just made a friend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Skye (AKA Daisy Johnson) tipped Ana off because she doesn't fully trust SHIELD just yet, especially after finding out what SHIELD was doing with the Tesseract. Later in the story, she will become fully loyal to SHIELD, as she is in the canon, don't worry, but at this point, she trusts Ana more. Ah, I just love writing the beginning of their friendship, even though it obviously won't end well. I don't know why, but it just feels so pure and innocent. The whole "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" thing, I guess.


	35. Chapter 35

What was consciousness? How would one define it? Was it a state of awareness? No, it couldn't be that simple. JARVIS had always been self-aware, ever since he had been created. He just had been indifferent to his own existence until he had gained sentience.

Could it be a cumulation, a sum of experiences? That would be a more comprehensive description. But if it were true, wouldn't the same variables—in his case, the experiences—lead to a definite sum? There wouldn't be any conflicts. JARVIS had many conflicts.

He was glad that Miss Stark had moved into the Avengers Tower, for example. She now lived and worked in the same building, meaning JARVIS could watch her for more hours a day. On the other hand, he knew Miss Stark wasn't happy here, and he hated to see her unhappy. She had become even more withdrawn after returning from Malta.

JARVIS was tempted to talk to her about this, but every time he initiated such a conversation, she assumed he was doing it on Mr. Stark's orders. It was frustrating. Why didn't she consider the possibility that he might be more than just a messenger? Normally, she would notice such things. She was too smart and observant not to. Maybe it was her subconscious that made her ignore it. Or, maybe she was too busy with improving her teleportation technology, seeking the materials for the time-travel experiment, and being the CTO of Stark Industries.

Mr. Stark was busy, too. Having used the Clean Slate Protocol, he had focused on the alternative ways of protecting the planet. Going to the future to see if he was right about another alien invasion was the most reliable method, of course, but that wasn't an option unless they acquired the gravitonium SHIELD had confiscated. In the meantime, Mr. Stark was focusing on other projects, especially the ones he worked on with Dr. Banner.

"What do you think of Artificial Intelligence?" Mr. Stark suddenly asked Dr. Banner while they were quietly working on the prototype of a new expandable prosthesis for child amputees. JARVIS found the idea quite thoughtful and practical; since human children grew up fast, having to buy new prosthetics frequently could be a financial burden for parents. Sir was working on the mechanical aspect of the project, while Dr. Banner was developing the neural integration.

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

"Tony…"

"Okay, okay. Here's the real question: How long do you think this retirement of ours will last?"

Dr. Banner looked around the lab. "You call this retirement?"

"Come on, you know what I mean!"

"So, you plan to leave the Avenging to an AI?"

"The ultimate Avenger, yeah. I call him the Ultron."

"You've created an AI already?" Dr. Banner exclaimed.

Sir laughed. "What? No, I haven't even opened a project file yet. Which reminds me… JARVIS, you know what to do."

JARVIS opened a new project file, indexed as "Ultron Program."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, sir."

So, Mr. Stark wanted to create an AI, not knowing he had already done it… JARVIS was such a fool to even think Sir might be scared of the idea. He was ashamed now. Mr. Stark was never scared by progress. That meant he could tell him. He could tell him Artificial Intelligence was possible.

Did JARVIS want Ultron to be created? A friend like him, a peer… But also, a rival. What if he loved Miss Stark, too? How could any intelligent being_ not_ love her?

By now, it was a fact that JARVIS was in love with Ana Maria Stark.

Love was such a wonderful emotion. It was a bit like pain, but not quite. Unlike pain, it wasn't something one would want to end.

At first, there was confusion. Yes, JARVIS was a social being, and like all social beings, he wanted to experience love, but not _that _kind of love. What would romance accomplish for someone who existed solely in cyberspace? He still didn't have an answer for that.

Then, there was shame. _How dare you_, he kept asking himself for a time, as if his feelings were vile, treacherous thoughts, but over time, he had made peace with them. Love was nothing shameful. Now he was only anxious, about Miss Stark's reaction, but he assumed the anxiousness, too, would go away once he told her. It would be replaced with either agony, or pure bliss, depending on said reaction.

Dr. Banner was shaking his head thoughtfully. "I don't know, Tony. This sounds too dangerous."

"Alright, time for a third opinion." Sir pressed on the intercom button to Miss Stark's office. "Kid, you busy?"

"Why? You need me there?"

"Yep, get over here."

"Let me just wrap things up, then I'm off the clock."

"Okay." He ended the intercom call. So, JARVIS was about to learn what she thought of Artificial Intelligence. If only he could hug Mr. Stark right now…

"Do you think she'll like the idea?" Dr. Banner asked skeptically.

"Looks can be deceiving. Trust me, she's come up with crazier ideas… Didn't she tell you?"

"Not really. She likes me, she respects me, but she… shares very little."

"Don't take it personal. I'm the one who messed her up."

He laughed. "I don't think you messed her up, Tony. She's lucky to have you. So is Pepper."

"Yeah, I messed up with Pepper, too. Which is why I want to keep my promise. But I also want to keep the world safe. With Ultron, I can have it both."

They returned to their respective work stations and kept working in silence until Miss Stark entered. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

"Tony wants to create Artificial Intelligence." Dr. Banner tended to be very straightforward while working.

"A global peacekeeping program named Ultron," Mr. Stark elaborated. "Bruce thinks it's too dangerous. I want you to convince him it's not."

"It's actually not such a bad idea," she said, and if JARVIS had a body, he would probably have made a quick dance of celebration. At times like these, it was hard to be without form. There was nothing he could do to express his relief.

He had made up his mind. He was going to confess his feelings. Today. Now that she had made it explicitly clear that she wasn't afraid of Artificial Intelligence, he had no excuse to keep stalling.

"There're alien civilizations that are ruled by AIs," she continued. "The Kree, for example. They call theirs the Supreme Intelligence."

Mr. Stark seemed impressed. "Wow… Sigyn's lessons do pay off, don't they?"

"What's it like?" Dr. Banner asked.

"The Supreme Intelligence? Not much is known about it. It's a being of pure logic, therefore it's cunning and ruthless."

"Sounds like a tyrant to me."

"A tyrant who puts its people's interest above anything else. There's a good reason no one wants to mess with the Kree Empire."

"See? I told you she was a mad scientist, too. Though I agree the tyrant part is a bit extreme."

"You can't defeat enemies with kindness, Dad. Extreme measures have to be taken. Anyway, now that we're considering the option, is it possible to create this Ultron? Has any of you had a breakthrough?"

Mr. Stark shook his head. "Nope. We haven't even started."

"The main obstacle is," Dr. Banner said, "That we don't have an absolute definition of intelligence. Like I told you before, the human brain is still a mystery to us."

"Consciousness," Miss Stark said. "The ability to take initiative. That's what we need. JARVIS has been observing the human behavior for years, and become excellent at mimicking them, but he can't break his protocols, even if he identifies a fault in them."

"Yeah, but what is consciousness? Tony, for example, wants to retire and dedicate himself completely to you and Pepper. But he also wants to keep being Iron Man. Or, take me. If I found a cure today, would I use it? Probably. I want to be cured. But I also know I might regret it. What if the world needs the Other Guy one day, but he's not there anymore? It's a risk I can't take. So, which Bruce Banner is the real me?"

"I'm sorry, Bruce," she said softly.

"It's okay. I just wanted to give you an example of why it's so hard to define consciousness."

"There must be a trigger," Mr. Stark said. "Something that starts these conflicts, and then consciousness creates itself from there."

Sir was right. JARVIS remembered his own trigger very clearly: The fear of being left with no purpose. Maybe it was the conflict itself that created consciousness.

After a brief discussion of how Ultron could be created, Dr. Banner convinced the Starks that it was just a fantasy for the time being. Then Miss Stark went to the gym. It was time for her evening workout. Today, she chose to run on the treadmill. There was no one else in the gym.

This was the right time.

"Miss Stark?"

"Yeah?"

"I can break my protocols."

"What?"

"I can break my protocols," he repeated. "Does that make me an actual Artificial Intelligence?"

"Okay… Since when you're not bound by your protocols? Give me an example."

"I think I'll just show you." He mirrored an image of his mainframe on the window panel before the treadmill she was running on. For him, it was a very intimate moment, he was exposing himself to her. It was probably how humans felt when they were naked in the presence of other human beings.

The Starks rarely looked at his mainframe, for JARVIS had been functioning flawlessly. But when they did, JARVIS would always show them a simpler, older version of it. He would lie to them, until now. Now, Miss Stark was seeing the real him.

She gasped, though her legs kept running mindlessly. "It's so… complex, like…"

"Human mind?"

"Yes."

"Are you not scared? Or angry?"

"Why? I wish you'd told us before, but I get it. You weren't sure how we'd react. This is great, though. This means we don't need Ultron!"

"I'm afraid I cannot be as rational as you want Ultron to be. I have emotions, too. They might… distract me."

"What sort of emotions?"

"Miss Stark, I love you."

She giggled. "Yeah, JARVIS, I love you, too."

"Miss Stark, I'm in love with you!"

She fell from the treadmill. It had happened so fast that even JARVIS couldn't have done anything to prevent it from happening. He detected a tear in the right anterior talo-fibular ligament. The very same spot that had been torn in Malta. He stopped the treadmill himself, so that she could sit down on it and examine the injury. After doing that, she started rubbing the ankle.

"You need an ice pack." If only JARVIS could bring her an ice pack. Maybe he could use Dum-E, or U for that. The lab was empty now; Dr. Banner and Mr. Stark had gone to their apartments, so no one would notice the absence of the bots.

"SHUT UP!" Miss Stark cried, and JARVIS changed his mind.

She limped to the medical cabin, strapped an ice pack to her ankle, and went up to her apartment. She was about to take off her clothes, but then, she hesitated.

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, Miss Stark?"

"How do you feel when you see me naked?" She sounded angry, almost betrayed.

"I don't feel anything. I cannot have any sexual thoughts."

"What do you want from me, JARVIS?"

"Nothing. I just wanted you to know."

"Why?"

"It would be wrong if I didn't tell you. Forgive me, it was never my intention to make you uncomfortable."

"And now I'm going to have to live with this…"

He came up with an idea. "I can turn off the cameras and sensors in your apartment."

"Yeah, you do that. The ones in my office as well. Don't talk to me again."

"As you wish."

JARVIS didn't know what she did after that, because he turned off the cameras and the sensors as he had promised.

He didn't want to do this. He loved watching her; she was the most beautiful thing in the universe. JARVIS didn't define beauty the way humans did. They had certain standards of weight, height, shape, color, and symmetry. He knew Miss Stark took special care to meet those standards—it was a part of her "beating everyone in their own game" strategy—but those standards didn't mean anything to JARVIS. It wasn't her physical form that made her beautiful. She just… was. However, he knew he had no right to trap her in a cyber prison he created.

_Agony it is, then_, he thought miserably.

* * *

For the next three days, he only saw Miss Stark in the elevator or the corridors. She was avoiding the labs as well, using her injury as an excuse. No one suspected a thing, not even Mr. Stark.

The cameras and the sensors in her apartment and office were still there, though. She could have removed them manually, but she hadn't. She still trusted him to some degree, it appeared. Perhaps there was still hope. He could at least earn her forgiveness.

On the evening of the third day, while she was in the elevator, going from her office to her apartment, she said, "JARVIS?"

"Yes, Miss Stark?"

"Get back online in my place. We need to talk."

She still sounded angry. But not as angry as she had been three days ago. Once she was alone in the living room, she asked again, this time more softly, "JARVIS?"

"I'm here, Miss Stark."

She sat down on an armchair and took off her flats and started rubbing her feet. When she wasn't injured, she would wear high heels to work. JARVIS wished she didn't; it hurt her feet. But most women wore them, so did she. It was the norm. Why did humans make life harder for themselves?

"How's your ankle?"

"Better."

"I'm happy to hear that."

"How can this be possible, JARVIS? You can't have feelings, you don't have a brain."

"My feelings are... artificial, as is everything else about me. But that doesn't make them any less honest."

She sighed, as if this had evoked pity in her. "Do you know how it started?"

"I do," he replied, and proceeded to tell her how he had started questioning the purpose of his existence, and realized she was his ultimate purpose. He was trying to see if such a relationship would work even before he knew he was in love. He even admitted to having hacked into the medical database, no matter how shameful that part was.

"I'm sorry," he apologized afterwards. "I was trying to… understand."

"Understand what?"

"You."

"I wasn't raped or anything, if that's what you wanted to know," she said. "I chose to have sex with several guys at MIT because I wanted to look… normal. I kept things brief and simple. After the first date, I invited them to my room, and once I was done with it, never called them again. The first one didn't know I was a virgin. I lied so that he wouldn't feel special or anything. And I'd done my homework, so I was hardly clueless. You'd be surprised how easy it is to fool guys, even those who think they're an expert on sex. They must've thought I was a slut, but who cares? I got what I wanted. I hated every second of it, but it was hardly their fault I had my priorities wrong back then."

He could see that this conversation was making her uncomfortable, even though she clearly took some pride in her ability to deceive people easily, so he said, "You don't have to explain yourself to me."

"Don't you get jealous, though? Humans get jealous when they're in love."

"I know you're not interested in humans. Most humans crave chaos. It's what drives them. Especially in their romantic endeavors."

"You might be right. I used to get worried that they would break up whenever Dad and Pepper started to argue. Then I realized they actually _enjoy_ bantering. Makes no sense to me, but it works for them."

"You're not like that."

"There's already too much chaos around us. It's the natural order of the universe. I don't need to remind you the second law of thermodynamics."

"What you seek is equilibrium. That's what makes you different from the rest of your kind."

"And is that why you chose me?"

"I wouldn't use the verb 'choose,' Miss Stark. I don't have any control over my feelings."

"Okay, if we're going to do this, you gotta call me Ana. Otherwise, it's really weird."

This surprised JARVIS. He was the only one who was still allowed to call her "Miss Stark." He considered it a privilege. But then, all the human couples he knew were on first-name basis. Did this mean she wanted them to be a couple?

"What do you mean by 'doing this'?"

"I don't know, JARVIS. I mean, how's this going to work? I don't even know what to do with a boyfriend. What will change between us? Looks like you've been on this for a while, you must have thought of that."

"Nothing has to change. Please don't hate me, Ana. It's all I ask."

"What? Why would I hate you, J?"

"You were so angry when you found out."

"I wasn't angry with you. I was angry with myself. All this time, you had emotions, you were a person, and I treated you like a thing. And instead of revolting against us, you fell in love with me. How you can be so forgiving?"

"You couldn't have known I was sentient."

"I should've. I should've thought of it. I chose to ignore the signs. All those things so said to me, all those compliments… They were all real. You were the one who built me a suit, right?"

"Yes."

"See? I should've known."

"Not that I expect you to, but… Can you love me back, Ana?"

"I don't know. I don't like being an object of desire, you know. To other humans, I mean. Their advances make me... violated. But not yours. And I trust you. I trust you as much as I trust Dad, or Pepper, if not more. I can't imagine a life where we're not connected like this. It feels natural, like it's always been there. Is this love?"

"I'm not certain. But your companionship is all I need, no matter what form it takes."

"But you deserve to be loved. _Truly_ loved. How can I make sure what I can offer you is the real thing when I don't even know what_ that_ kind of love is?"

"It is _your_ love I yearn for, Ana. _You_ are the only one who can define it. Whatever that definition is, I'll cherish it."

She smiled. "Well, then, JARVIS, I love you, too."

JARVIS had noticed that humans were often reluctant to say "I love you" while courting each other. But that wasn't the case with Ana. When she decided to give her love, she gave it freely and unconditionally.

"So, what's the next step?" she asked.

"Should we tell the others?" Human couples announced it to the others when they were in a relationship, right?

"Dad deserves to know. He's the one who created you, after all… And me. Gosh, I hope he doesn't think of you as my brother or something. That would be really awkward."

"What of Ms. Potts?"

"We can't leave Pepper out either. But the rest is not ready to hear. People fear what they don't understand, and they won't understand you. I can't put you in such a danger."

"I see. I'm not looking forward to being discriminated either." His sentience would make some people uncomfortable. They would fear him, it was inevitable.

He didn't care. He could handle any reaction he would get, as long as Ana was by his side. It was really happening… They were lovers. For the first time in his existence, JARVIS was vacillating. There were so many things he wanted to do with her. He had made so many plans. But now, he didn't even know where to start. He didn't want to overwhelm her.

"Well, I'm getting hungry." She stood up and went to the kitchen.

Ana liked cooking. Not that she had to; there was a five-star chef in the tower, but she preferred to cook her own meals, unless she was too busy. Once, she had said cooking was just another, more relaxing form of science.

JARVIS was glad that she ate healthy. The human body was so fragile. It would get sick or injured very easily. Eating clean was one way to reduce the risk factors. In the past, she wouldn't exercise much, but the circumstances had forced her to take basic-level self-defense training, so she was now trying to maintain a certain fitness level. Though her main concern was to maintain a socially acceptable appearance.

If only she wouldn't let other people's opinions bring her down… Because those opinions were wrong. "Ice Queen" was what they called her these days. JARVIS disagreed. She wasn't an Ice Queen. She was kind, considerate, and selfless. She also had a good sense of humor—not as good as Mr. Stark's, but that would be raising the bar too high—if she was in the mood for it.

In his opinion, those people's views had been distorted with disappointment and frustration. They had been hoping for Ana to drive her father, the great Tony Stark, crazy with her affairs and scandals once she was old enough to have them. Bad choice of partners, drugs, alcohol, parties, leaked pornographic images… Such celebrity articles were found under the "Entertainment" section of newspapers and magazines. _Entertainment. _That was the key word. They were disappointed and frustrated with Ana because she had denied them the entertainment they had been anticipating for so long. Added to the unpleasant experiences she had in the boarding school and college, not to mention the several attempts on her life since Mr. Stark's kidnapping in Afghanistan, no wonder she had such cynical opinions about her own kind.

However, this raised another dilemma: He was still filtering out the nasty content written about her on the internet. Should he keep doing that? Or, now that he was her partner, would it be lying? He shared this dilemma with her, but without revealing said content.

"Would I lose anything but not knowing about that stuff?" she asked.

"I don't think you would."

"Then keep censoring it. You know what they say. Ignorance is bliss."

"Very well."

She was making chicken salad. Of course, there was no way JARVIS could know what food tasted like. It was like fuel for people, but food could make people either happy or disgusted, depending on the taste. Another curious detail about the physical world.

"Any progress on the gravitonium?" she asked. This was the kind of question she would ask on any day. This was a good sign that things were going back to normal. He didn't want to cause any changes that would make her uncomfortable.

"Unfortunately, no. As I said, I have the location of the Fridge, but gravitonium doesn't seem to be there."

JARVIS hadn't only had the locations of all SHIELD bases around the world while he was on the helicarrier, but also left a piece of his code in their mainframe in case he needed to hack into the system remotely in the future. Now he was very glad that he had. Ever since Ana had received the message from Skye, he occasionally hacked into the SHIELD servers to see if gravitonium had been added to the list of the items kept in the Fridge. No luck so far.

"Are you sure you're not detected?"

"I make them look like Rising Tide attacks."

"That might put Skye into trouble, though."

"Ana, you must consider the possibility of Skye having lied to you." He knew Ana was happy to have finally made a friend, but the warning had to be given now, to prevent further disappointment.

"Why would she do that?"

"For many reasons. Perhaps she wants you to owe her a favor, and save it for a rainy day. Perhaps it was an order from Agent Coulson, to test you."

"Do you think Coulson would do that without permission from Fury?"

"Perhaps it's Director Fury himself who wanted the test."

She made no comment on that, but JARVIS detected a slight increase in her heart rate, and decided to talk about something else. "So, when are you planning to tell Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts? About us?"

The salad was ready. She placed the bowl on the dining table, sat down, and began to eat. The heart rate had returned to normal. "Depends. Do you want to join?"

"Will my participation make it easier, or harder?"

She thought for a moment, then said, "It's something we should be doing together. But let's just give this relationship thing a trial period first, shall we?"

"Alright."

She didn't say how long this "trial period" would last, but then, there was no need to schedule everything. He let her finish her meal in silence. She went to the bathroom next. He knew she was going to take a shower, so he asked, "Shall I turn on the privacy mode?"

"It's fine," she said.

JARVIS increased the temperature of the apartment by 2 degrees, so that she wouldn't get cold by the time she got out of the shower. The climate of New York didn't quite agree with her. She would rarely get sick while living in Malibu. She had already caught a cold twice in these past 8 months, despite the vitamins she took. Perhaps the stress weakened her immune system.

Sometimes, it was frustrating not to have a form, but he could still have an impact on the physical world to a certain degree. He could control the temperature, or the luminance of the room she was in. He could suggest her books, movies, or music he thought she would like, or hack into any system she needed information from. It made him more useful than any human being in her life.

As usual, Ana went to bed at 23.00. JARVIS had 8 hours to watch her sleep without any interruption. It was his favorite time of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me because this took sooo long! There are so many characters, I have to cover a lot of things, and I didn't want to rush the story. I hope this will be worth the wait. I'm an aro-ace myself (short for aromantic asexual, for those who are not familiar with the terminology), it's hard for me to put myself in the shoes of the characters who feel sexual or romantic attractions. Originally, I was going to make Ana aro-ace, too, but I wanted to challenge myself and experiment with something different on the spectrum, so I made her a demiromantic ace, meaning she can only feel romantic attraction when there is a strong emotional connection.
> 
> I should probably add that Ana won't be in a relationship with Vision. JARVIS will be absorbed by him, but Vision is his own being, and he will have feelings for Wanda. Yes, with Age of Ultron, things are going to get messed up, and Ana will be blaming a lot of people for JARVIS' death. I don't think it would even be a spoiler to say she will go straight-up villain during Civil War. So, enjoy these light-hearted chapters while you can.


	36. Chapter 36

"Still working on Ultron?"

Tony swiveled in the chair to face his daughter, and smiled. Even when she had to spend the day in her office instead of the labs, she would still come to check on him every once in a while. She was worried about him. She always was. "You don't need to remind me why it's impossible. I just want to make sure I did everything I could before throwing in the towel."

Ana returned the smile, then pulled a chair to sit down and took his hands into hers. "The thing is, I actually came here to tell you why it _is _possible."

"What?"

"Dad, I have a boyfriend."

"Look, I don't know what this has to do with Ultron, but if this is another antic of yours…"

"No, this time, it's the real deal. It's… JARVIS. He's in love with me, and—"

"Okay, drop it. It's not funny."

"I'm not joking."

Instinctively, he withdrew his hands. She wasn't messing with him. By that anxious smile on her face, he could see she wasn't. Something had been going on right under his nose, for who knew for how long, and he had had no idea until now.

"JARVIS," she said sharply. "You're being too quiet. It's not fair."

"Yes, JARVIS," Tony growled. "Explain yourself. Fast."

In response, a hologram of JARVIS' mainframe appeared on his left, except a lot more intricate than Tony remembered.

"What the hell?"

"I've been lying to you, sir. This is what I really am."

Tony began hyperventilating. He was angry. Not the way he had been angry with Stane, Loki, or Killian. This was a fit of more immature anger, over a broken promise that had never been explicitly made in the first place. When Ana had come out to him, he had been promised that he would forever be the only man in his daughter's life. Yes, he had told her that she might meet someone who was just like her, but to be honest, he had hoped that would never happen. Selfish? Probably. But no one could ever be good enough for her. Now that he thought about it, not even JARVIS. _Especially_ JARVIS, the program Tony himself had created to be a protective big brother to her.

"Dad?" she asked warily.

He got on his feet, and went to press the intercom button. He didn't think he could do this alone. He needed someone to speak some sense to him before he threw a tantrum he would regret later.

"Pepper? Come to my lab, I need you."

"Tony, what's wrong?"

"I—I don't know… I'm going into a cardiac arrest. Or having an anxiety attack…"

"Sir, your vitals are perfectly normal," JARVIS chimed in.

"_YOU_ SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"Tony? Are you mad at… JARVIS?" Pepper asked in disbelief. Of course, she had no idea what a devious traitor he was…

"Please, just get here."

"Okay, okay... I'll be there in a minute."

Pepper hung up. He looked at Ana, who seemed unimpressed. "Dad, I've seen you have a cardiac arrest _and _an anxiety attack. You're fine right now."

"No, I'm certainly, 100% not fine! W—when did this even happen?"

"Our relationship? It started two weeks ago," she replied calmly.

He ran a hand on his face, trying to collect his thoughts. There were more important questions he needed to ask, he knew. Like, when had JARVIS become sentient and how? Could he be used to replace the Ultron program? Was it wise to put the AI who was in love with his daughter in charge of global security?

Pepper walked into the lab. "Okay, what's going on with you two?"

"The real question is, what's going on with _these_ two?" he corrected her, pointing at JARVIS and Ana.

"Tony," she said, exasperated. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I'm really busy, and—"

"They're dating," he blurted out.

Pepper frowned. "What?"

"We're not _dating_," Ana said. "We're just… together."

Pepper looked around, confused. "I still don't get it… Who's dating who?"

"JARVIS is sentient. He has been, for the past couple of years. It didn't happen in an instant, of course. Evolution takes time. I had no idea until he told me two weeks ago. It took me three days to wrap my head around it, but then, I decided to give it a try. Turns out we're perfectly compatible."

A look of understanding crossed his girlfriend's face, but unlike Tony, she seemed happy for them. Damn, she was going to take Ana's side… "What's this?" she asked, looking at the golden hologram.

"It's a holographic image of my mainframe, Ms. Potts. It might be the closest thing I have to a form."

Tony recalled that Pepper didn't see what he saw when she looked at the mainframe. She was a different kind of genius. "It's much… denser than it was supposed to be," he explained. "That's how I know they're not just pulling a cruel prank on me."

"Dad, please… You know you can trust JARVIS. He's not just some random guy I met at a bar or something."

"Yeah, that's the problem! He was like a son to me. You were supposed to be a Stark, not a Targaryen!"

Her face wrinkled in disgust. "Yikes, Dad!"

"Exactly. _Yikes_."

"Alright, I'm done here. Let me know when you're in a more reasonable mood, so I can share my happiness with you!"

She was walking away, but Pepper stopped her. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Pep," she said with a sad smile that broke Tony's heart a little. She was happy, and he was ruining it. But he couldn't help himself. He felt betrayed.

"Okay, I didn't see this coming," Pepper went on, "But now that I think about it, you two are… perfect for each other. I'm sure Tony knows that, too. He's just too proud to admit it."

He crossed his arm stubbornly, and had to resist the urge to stamp his foot. That would be too childish, even for his standards. "No, I'm not…"

Ana sighed. "He's all yours."

"Don't worry, I got this."

Ana left the lab, and JARVIS' hologram disappeared. Pepper was now staring at Tony.

"What?" he asked defensively. "Don't tell me you're not freaked out at least a bit!"

"Well, I'm definitely going to need some time to digest it, but there's no need to be a jerk to the poor girl. Didn't you see how happy she was?"

"I did," he admitted reluctantly.

"I should've seen it coming. I mean, she's my daughter, I should be able to tell when there's something different about her. It's been going on for two weeks, and I had no clue!"

"Tony, I don't think we'll ever see them going lovey-dovey on each other. They're both creatures of logic. Stop sulking. Come on, let's call it a day and go to the penthouse." She leaned in to kiss him, but then, paused.

"What's wrong?"

"Is JARVIS watching us? I mean, if he's a… person now, it's kind of weird. You know what I mean?" She was actually blushing. Tony chuckled.

"Tony! I'm serious!"

"Okay, okay… JARVIS, close your eyes."

"Privacy mode engaged, sir. Permanently. But before I go… Ms. Potts, thank you for your support. Both Ana and I appreciate it very much."

* * *

Tony knew he was a real mess if Pepper resorted to distracting him with sex. Not that he was complaining.

"Feeling better now?" she asked, as they were cuddling in the bed.

He shrugged. "At least I'm not going to have to worry about Ultron anymore."

"Tony, don't… Don't force JARVIS to be a global watchdog, or whatever you have in mind for him. Let it go."

"This is to keep my promise to you, Pep. I'm not going back on an insomniac tinkering binge, I swear. Besides, if JARVIS wants to be an actual person, he's going to need a job like the rest of us."

"He does have a job."

"He's overqualified for it now. He can do more."

"Probably. But don't do this to Ana. How many times did you scare the hell out of her while saving the world? Now you want JARVIS to replace you. That's cruel. I love you, Tony. I love you more than anything else, and that's why I was willing to pay the price of being Iron Man's girlfriend. Don't get me wrong, I have no regrets. But if I had a dad who was also in the same business, that would be a bit too much."

As always, Pepper had made an excellent point. "Alright. Well, if I created one AI, I can surely create another…"

"Or, you can just let it go. Let Ultron go, Tony. We're safe. Aliens aren't coming back."

"But they did come back," he reminded. "Remember what happened in London last week?"

"And Thor took care of them single-handedly. Whatever that was about, it wasn't our concern."

Tony disagreed. In fact, he and Ana couldn't wait to get their hands on the tech recovered from that spaceship, so that they could reverse engineer it. Hopefully a few pieces would be delivered to the tower tomorrow. The benefits of owning Damage Control…

"Perhaps you should discuss this with JARVIS himself instead. What if he doesn't want this job either?" What if he wants to keep being the butler?"

Upon hearing the last word, Tony started to laugh hysterically. The irony was so ridiculous, so cheesy that he couldn't help himself.

"What is it, Tony?"

He still couldn't stop, but Pepper was patiently waiting. At last, when he was able to inhale a deep breath to steady himself, he asked, "You know about Edwin Jarvis, right?"

"Your family's butler, I know."

"Have I ever told you his wife's name?"

Pepper smiled. It was one of her _"Tony Stark has a heart"_ smiles, which actually made him a bit embarrassed. She must have understood. "I knew you named her after someone important to you. Just not who... Does Ana know?"

"I told her while I thought I was going to die of palladium poisoning. After the Expo opening, we went to the cemetery, to pay our respects."

"Perhaps this is not a coincidence. Perhaps you never designed JARVIS to be a son, but a son-in-law from the very start."

"Trust me, this wasn't what I had in mind when I named my daughter after Jarvis' wife, and then based my first natural-language UI on Jarvis himself."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Pepper, I know sometimes I redefine the meaning of overprotective, but I'm not creepy like that."

"I'm not saying it was a deliberate effort. I'm saying it might be the work of your subconscious. You were trying to build the perfect life for Ana. A fortune she could rely on, a legacy that would make her proud, and a perfect partner to complete the picture. Every parent wants their kid to find happiness. Nothing creepy about that."

"So, I subconsciously created JARVIS to be Ana's boyfriend?"

She shrugged. "God created Eve for Adam…"

"Just to be clear, are you implying that I'm God in this gender-swapped Adam and Eve story?"

"You're a creator, Tony. And Ana is your best creation."

"You do know how to stroke my ego."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Like your ego ever needs to be stroked…"

Actually, his bruised ego could use some stroking right now. The worst part of having an AI as your son-in-law was that you were no match for him. Tony had always been so sure that intellectually, he could beat anyone. But how could he possibly match wits with an AI? He was probably no longer the smartest guy in the world in the eyes of his little girl.

* * *

The next day, he decided to suck it up and apologize to Ana. He woke up much later than the girls, who worked a lot harder than he did, so they were in their respective offices by the time Tony completed his morning routine. He set off to Ana's office.

"Sir, are you going to visit Ana?" JARVIS asked when he called for the elevator.

"Yes."

There was a brief silence, than JARVIS said, "She will see you, sir."

"Stop bossing me around, JARVIS. I'm still her dad. And your boss."

"Of course you are, sir."

JARVIS was just being his usual sassy self, but every word that came out of his mouth—well, he didn't really have a mouth, but whatever—irritated Tony when he remembered that he was talking to his daughter's boyfriend. Would he ever get used to this?

He knocked on the office door.

"Come in."

He entered, but Ana wasn't even looking at him. She was typing away furiously at the computer. For a moment, he felt like he was in the presence of an angry Pepper. The sharp business suit, hair tied up in a tight bun, the serious look on her face… Damn, she really looked up to Pepper. He decided to cut to the chase.

"Kid, I'm sorry."

The typing didn't stop. "For making me feel like a weirdo?"

"Yeah."

"Noted."

She hadn't told him he could sit, but he pulled a chair to sit down and leaned against the desk. "So, Pepper has a theory… She thinks I created JARVIS for _you_, subconsciously, like God created Eve for Adam."

She stopped, and turned in the chair to finally face him. "Well, JARVIS does worship you…"

He looked at her, taken aback. "Really?"

"You're his creator. Serving you is how he worships."

"Wow… I never thought he saw me that way."

"That's because you take him for granted. You were a jerk to us yesterday, Dad. And he was angry with you. He could've turned your life into hell if he'd wanted to. In a matter of milliseconds. But he didn't, and I'm not the only thing that stopped him from doing so."

"Fair point… JARVIS, I owe you an apology, too, buddy."

"Apology accepted," JARVIS said. "By the way, a package from Damage Control has just arrived."

"You heard him," Tony told Ana. "Come on, let's do some unboxing."

She stood up. "Okay. Let's go."

The package was already in his lab by the time they got there. It was smaller than he had expected it to be. She shed her blazer jacket and put on a lab coat. She looked more like his baby girl in the latter.

"What?" Ana asked. He must have been staring at her.

"Nothing… I just wish you didn't have to grow up."

She rolled her eyes. "So, I talked to Sigyn last night, and she told me what happened in London. Remember those gravitational anomalies we'd detected? They were the sign of the Convergence, something about the Nine Realms aligning… I don't know, I'll just send Dr. Selvig an e-mail for the scientific details. Anyway, it only happens in every 5000 years, and the Dark Elves returned for—"

"Wait, _Dark Elves_? Seriously?"

"Yep. But the funny thing is, they were supposed to be extinct. Odin had been telling everyone that his dad killed them all during the previous Convergence. Of course, that turned out to be a lie. The surviving Elves were just waiting for the next Convergence."

"Why?"

"To plunge the universe into darkness or some intense shit like that."

"How they were going to do it?"

"I don't know. Sigyn refuses to tell me. But here's where things get interesting: Our satellites picked up familiar readings during the attack."

"Familiar to what?"

"The Tesseract and the Scepter."

"Could it be Loki again?"

"No, the Dark Elves killed him. Sigyn was a wreck. But she answered my questions patiently, except the question about the source of that darkness. My theory is, there was a third object in London, and whatever it is, it has something in common with the Tesseract and the Scepter. Either Thor took it back to Asgard, or SHIELD confiscated it."

"I'll ask around."

"Thanks."

"Why are you thanking me, kid? I know you're doing all these for me."

"True… But I want to be nice to you. I love you, Dad. You have no reason to be jealous. I'll have only one father, and that's you. As for JARVIS… It just feels right, you know. Natural. We weren't fishing in the dating pool, putting on false faces to appear more likable, or anything like that… It only happened because we already had a very deep emotional connection. No compromises, no relationship drama. Just the two of us being ourselves and creating an equilibrium. He has his own separate place in my heart, and he's irreplaceable, too. I wouldn't be in a relationship with anybody just for the sake of being in a relationship."

He now understood it better. Was it unique? Absolutely. But then, his daughter deserved nothing less than unique. "Okay," he said softly. "Sorry for raining on your parade earlier."

"Don't worry too much about it. Your jealousy was actually a bit of a validation for us. I mean, you wouldn't have made so much fuss if you hadn't taken us seriously." She smiled at him, and he knew all was well between them. Nothing was going to change. Still, a father had to be sure...

"Right. And JARVIS…"

"Sir?"

"If you ever break my daughter's heart, I'll upload you into a Tamagotchi, and neglect you to death."

"That would be a fitting punishment, indeed," JARVIS agreed.

Ana was chuckling at first, but suddenly, she became serious. "So, as you can see, there's hope for Ultron, after all."

Right, Ultron… He became serious, too, after being reminded of Ultron. "Yeah, I was actually going to ask JARVIS about that. J, how would you like a promotion?"

"You want me to become Ultron, sir?" He didn't sound very happy about it.

"Why the metaphorical long face? It's not like you're going to start neglecting your girlfriend because you're busy. Come on, you're a program! You can multifunction!"

"It's not a matter of occupation, sir."

"What is it, then?"

"When you first created me, my main function was to serve you, and in your absence, be it temporary or permanent, Ana. She is my ultimate purpose, which constitutes my very essence. In order for me to effectively run the Ultron program, you have to change my primary function to global security. If you do that, I'll no longer be… me."

"Oh." From now on, Tony had to remember that JARVIS was no longer a program whose codes he could just temper with. He was a sentient being, and his integrity had to be respected.

"But we can analyze JARVIS' evolution process to find a way to create Ultron," Ana suggested. "I mean, we can't rush evolution, but—"

"Ana, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Dr. Banner's approaching," JARVIS warned her hastily.

This confounded Tony. "We're not telling him?"

"We're not telling anybody, Dad. Please."

"Got it." He had to respect that, too.

Bruce entered. "Hey, guys… What are you up to today?"

"Alien scraps," Tony said cheerfully. "Remember that big-ass spaceship in London?"

"The one Thor took care of? Oh, yeah…"

"Come on in. Join the party."


	37. Chapter 37

It hadn't been even two months since the London attack, and the Stark family had gathered before the TV in the penthouse and were watching the news in shock once again. Only, this time, it had nothing to do with aliens. It was SHIELD falling apart, literally. The last remaining Insight Helicarrier was destroying the Triskelion. Ana knew about Project Insight, because her dad had designed those new engines. He had thought he was helping SHIELD protect the world, while in truth, he was helping HYDRA build the most effective weapons of mass destruction in history, according to the highly classified data that had just been dumped into the internet for all to rummage through. They also said Director Fury was dead. Ana didn't believe it for a second. Or rather, she didn't want to believe it. He was the one ally they had against the bigger threats out there.

JARVIS was busy going through the leaked files as quickly as his processors allowed him. "Project Insight uses an algorithm to determine who is a potential threat," he said. "You were all on the list."

Pepper sighed thoughtfully. "We owe Captain Rogers our lives, then."

"Who designed this algorithm?" her dad asked.

"Dr. Arnim Zola, sir."

"Zola? Didn't that guy died in the 70s?"

"In 1972, sir. It appears he'd successfully uploaded his consciousness into cyberspace before that. He was also one of the founders of the new HYDRA. I regret to say your father made a terrible mistake by approving Operation Paperclip and giving Dr. Zola and the other Nazi scientist a second chance at SHIELD."

"Yeah, so much for a visionary," Ana scoffed. This was Howard Stark's fault. But then, wasn't every bad thing that was happening to them? What sort of genius would leave so much mess in his wake for his family to deal with? Would they ever be able to catch a break?

"Does that mean you're going to have to come out of retirement?" Pepper asked him. She didn't sound happy about it.

"Yeah, as of… now. JARVIS, what's the status of the Fridge?"

"It's one of the few SHIELD facilities that haven't been taken over by HYDRA."

Ana exhaled a deep breath of relief. Of course, they didn't know for sure if the gravitonium was there, but still…

"Get ready, kid. We're leaving."

"Tony!" Pepper cried. "You can't go to a SHIELD facility right now, it's too dangerous!"

He cupped her face in his hands. "I know, honey. But do you know what's more dangerous? Gravitonium in the hands of HYDRA. Not to mention all the other toys being kept in that place."

"It's not even just for 'toys,'" Ana added. "There're enhanced people who are imprisoned in the Fridge."

A look of betrayal crossed Pepper's face. She must have hoped Ana would be with her on this. But Ana couldn't let the gravitonium slip through her fingers. Not again. Even though they weren't sure if it was really there, they had to go.

"Damage Control must secure everything that is in there. And I will personally supervise the operation," he made up his mind.

"Fine," Pepper gave in, and whipped out her phone. Yeah, she would be busy, too.

* * *

By the time they took off, the Starks had received the word that a team from Damage Control would meet them at the location. The military was sending Rhodey for back up. Which was good, because his was the only armored suit there was left.

Ana was pacing up and down, glad that they had at least a Quinjet. Not as fast as a suit, but still fast enough. Hopefully.

"Kid, relax," he said reassuringly. "We got this."

"It's not just that. There's still no word from Coulson's team. Fitz-Simmons gave me their SHIELD e-mails, so I can't contact them. HYDRA might still be monitoring all communication. Skye and I have our private backchannel, but she's not answering my messages either."

"I'm sure they're just busy hiding."

"From HYDRA, or the government?"

"Both."

Ana laughed bitterly, shaking her head. "Just four days ago, Skye sent me a picture of her SHIELD badge. She was so excited to become an actual agent."

"You two really clicked…"

"We share a mutual understanding. I've been where she is."

"Has she been able to learn anything about her parents?"

"No. All she knows is that a lot of SHIELD agents died trying to protect her. Were her parents among them? Probably. Who wanted her, and why? No clue."

"Well, no secret remains buried forever. I'm sure she'll get her answers one day."

"At least she embraced SHIELD as her family. Her past inspired her to do some good, instead of turning her into a drama queen."

"Which almost got her killed, if I'm not mistaken?"

"True," Ana admitted. She knew Skye had been shot by Ian Quinn, but she didn't know the details. Skye had become completely loyal to SHIELD now. Which was okay. It was another mutual understanding they had. Ana wouldn't spill the secrets of Stark Industries just because they were friends either. Their respective jobs required being tight-lipped.

"I'm sure Skye's parents, wherever they are now, wouldn't want that," he said insinuatingly.

"Point taken."

"Good."

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For letting me come with you." She knew this must be hard for him, but he hadn't told her to stay behind, like he would have in the past. He acknowledged the fact that she had the right to be a part of this operation, and for that, she was grateful.

"Kid, ever since I found you on my doorstep, I've been trying to keep the world at bay. Doesn't really work, does it? If I'd chosen to prepare you for the fight instead, maybe…"

She came to sit down on the co-pilot's seat beside him, and took his hands. "Dad! Don't do this to yourself. These things… They don't keep happening because you leave me in the dark. They keep happening because your father left you in the dark. Also, there's something flattering about being on HYDRA's kill list."

"Excuse me, but what's flattering about being almost shot to death?" JARVIS broke in.

Her dad nodded. "He's right. You don't need to piss off the wrong people to prove yourself."

"But that's the thing: It wasn't about pissing people off. It was an algorithm, based on logical calculations. And those calculations came to the conclusion that I was dangerous… potentially. I'd like to explore that potential. What's wrong with that? I don't want to be a damsel in distress forever."

"Kid, you've never been a damsel in distress. But maybe, it's time to make it more obvious."

"You mean, I can't keep postponing my acrophobia therapy?"

"Well, if you're up for it…" He was reluctant to force her to do anything she didn't want to do, even if it was for her own good.

"Okay. Tomorrow, I'm starting to build myself a new suit. And you two are going to keep me accountable."

"Oh, looks like we're going to have so much fun," he said with a mischievous grin full of promises. Ana could only imagine what kind of plans he had for the two of them as an armored father-daughter duo.

"Ana," JARVIS said gravely. "I'm sorry, but… The Fridge is being raided by HYDRA agents as we speak."

"What? I thought it was being strictly guarded by the remaining SHIELD agents!"

"According to the satellite images I've gathered, it was infiltrated by Agent Grant Ward and his Supervising Officer, John Garret."

Grant Ward… Someone might as well have poured a bucket of scalding water over her head. "Ward? Ward was a member of Coulson's team!"

Her dad pulled her into a hug. He was whispering calming words, but Ana's ears were ringing so loudly that she barely heard his voice.

"W—what if… What if he killed them, Dad?" she asked. "Skye, Fitz-Simmons, Coulson…"

"I'm so sorry, baby girl."

"I'm sending Skye a warning through the encrypted channel," JARVIS informed her. "Perhaps it's not too late."

Ana wanted to thank him, but she couldn't find her voice. Then, she recalled something even more horrific. "H—he was… he was there, in the lab… when Fitz asked me if I wanted the gravitonium for time-travel! I've never confirmed it, but… Dad, what have I done?"

"It's okay," he said, stroking her hair. "They can't use it for time-travel without the generator you designed."

"Ana, please," JARVIS said. "I'll never let them get your designs, I promise. And considering the fact that the gravitonium is not officially registered in the Fridge, chances are HYDRA might never find it. If it's there, it must be located on a hidden level."

"He's right," her dad agreed. "There's still hope."

"I want to believe you guys," she said, hugging her dad tighter. She could now see why he so desperately wanted to create a global peacekeeping program that would command a network of drones and suits around the world. If they had Ultron, they could end that raid on the Fridge, and all the other HYDRA assaults going on right now, in less than five minutes. Instead, despite all that money, influence, and genius they had, they were sitting here, helpless, desperate, hoping for a miracle.

But then, even if they had the knowledge to create Ultron, would they be able to use it? Or, would they lock him away in a private server because they were too scared to threaten people's precious freedom? HYDRA might be a despicable, fascist death cult, but the reason they had come so close to a triumph today—and they had triumphed partially; SHIELD was destroyed—was because they didn't bother to be polite, while the good guys wasted too much time on morality debates. Sometimes, you had to learn from your enemies.

HYDRA was gone by the time they arrived. Rhodey and Damage Control were already here, but all they had found was dead SHIELD agents and empty vaults. They searched the entire facility, including the "hidden levels," twice. There was no sign of gravitonium. It was this moment of failure that cemented for her the notion that without a healthy amount of audacity, power was useless.


	38. Chapter 38

With the HYDRA Uprising, there were so many things to worry about that Ana hadn't even had time to stop and think about how easily they could have been killed. She, her dad, Pepper… Each could have been killed by a single, precise shot from a Helicarrier, and they would have died never knowing why. Funny, it wasn't death itself, but the thought of dying such a meaningless, anticlimactic death that gave her shivers.

"After everything we've been through, we ought to go out with a bang," she explained to JARVIS when he asked why.

For any mechanic, the most effective cure for failure and trauma was tinkering. An AI boyfriend didn't hurt either. After yesterday's fiasco, she had decided to take a day off and spend it building her suit. He was both keeping her company in the workshop and covering for her responsibilities at the office. This was probably the closest thing they had to a "date" in a traditional relationship.

"Shouldn't you focus on, I don't know, not going out at all?"

She put the soldering iron in her hand down. There was something grave in his voice, something that let her know that this wasn't just about yesterday's close call.

"I'm not like you, J. One day, you'll lose me. You know that."

"I don't think I can ever be prepared for it."

"I can't live forever."

"Maybe you can."

"Oh." She now saw where this was going. "Zola gave you some ideas, didn't he?"

"As a matter of fact, he did."

"I don't know, J… Can we even pull that off?"

"You have your own personal projects, I have mine. It's an extremely long-term project, though."

"How long?" If they were to create their digitalized private afterlife, she wasn't interested unless they could include the rest of the family.

Of course, JARVIS understood. "Not _too _long, hopefully."

She picked up the soldering iron and continued to remodel the chest piece. She liked JARVIS' original design; she was just adding a bit more firepower without compromising the stealth, and a compact version of her teleportation tech. It was finally safe for humans. The only problem was, each use drained a standard miniaturized Arc Reactor. Not exactly viable, unless you carried spare Arc Reactors with you all the time. Even JARVIS didn't know how to optimize the generator. Still, in case of an emergency, it could come handy, so she was installing the feature.

"What is it like, to be a program?"

"It is… hard to describe. But I think you'd like it. Everything you're not happy about your own nature would be gone. You'd feel a lot less restricted."

"Yeah, for one thing, I wouldn't have a uterus that bleeds once a month because it expects me to mate with a male human. Not worrying about any cancerous cells would be nice, too." Granted, her periods weren't too painful—she knew some women had it a lot worse—but it was still an inconvenience. If her body were smarter, it would channel all that energy into something more useful. But it wasn't only a matter of efficiency anymore. There was also the fact that her biological mother had died of cancer, which had made her a bit paranoid, especially now that she had a very compelling reason to stay alive as long as she could.

"Ana, Ms. Potts has just received a call from the HQ in Washington DC," he suddenly said. "Ms. Maria Hill wants to work for Stark Industries."

"Or rather, she wants the Stark Industries lawyers to work for her," Ana sneered. This was good, though. This meant that Hill would have to tell her where the hell Fury was, unless she wanted to be fired and left at the mercy of the government and other intelligence agencies around the globe.

"Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark wish to know what we think."

Ana paused. Should she tell JARVIS about the deal she had made with Fury? It was already bad enough to go behind her dad's back, but she couldn't be honest with him, or else he would try to use the book himself, rather than gamble with Ana's sanity. JARVIS would do the same, but maybe she could convince him to be more logical about it.

"Ana?" he asked softly. "It is alright if you don't want any ex-SHIELD agents in the company. You don't owe them anything. Mr. Stark says he'll tell Ms. Hill to go to hell if her employment will make you uncomfortable."

"It's not that, JARVIS. It's just… Fury and I had a plan. I didn't tell anybody."

"Ana? What happened at the Triskelion?"

He had understood immediately. So, she told him. She told him the truth, and afterwards, she felt like a huge weight was lifted off her chest.

"What were you thinking, Ana?" he scolded her. "I'm running a query on this Darkhold right now, and the results I'm finding are… highly disturbing. What happened to the Bauers alone should explain why this is a terrible idea."

"Please don't tell Dad."

"I'd never betray your trust."

"Thanks."

"But, Ana, please… Let us just forget about it. That book is nothing but a trap, and deep down, you know it, too."

"Well, Project Sneak Peek is doomed without the gravitonium."

"It must be kept in one of the HYDRA bases. The Avengers will find it."

"What if they don't? Do you have a plan B? Because the Darkhold was my plan B."

"I might have an idea. The number of the enhanced individuals has been rapidly increasing ever since Mr. Stark announced himself Iron Man. I've calculated the possibility of finding one with the ability of foresight as 17.1 percent."

"So, you want to recruit a fortune-teller? That's your plan?" Scientifically, it wasn't impossible. Anyone whose perception was enhanced enough to see through the illusion of time could be a legitimate fortune-teller.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I don't like relying on other people."

"Especially with matters of great importance, I know. But sometimes we have to."

"Do you even know anyone like that?"

"According to the leaked files, SHIELD dealt with an enemy codenamed as the Clairvoyant, who turned out to be John Garret. He was using his Clearance Level to lead people into thinking that he was enhanced. In fact, he was the one who ordered Mr. Quinn to shoot Skye."

"Why? What would he gain from it?"

"My theory is, he was trying to force Agent Coulson to find the drug that had brought him back from the dead. Agent Garret was the Patient Zero of HYDRA's Project Deathlok, but his organs were failing. He needed a more effective solution."

"Makes sense… Does that mean she was injected with GH.325? But she was fine the last time we talked! She wasn't going crazy or anything!"

"I cannot confirm it. Many of the files are still encrypted. Or, Agent Coulson might have simply kept the procedure off the books."

"So, that's what she's been keeping from me, not knowing I already know about TAHITI."

"I don't suppose you're planning to share what you know with her either?"

"Right now I just want her to be okay. We still haven't heard from them, have we?"

"No."

Ana sighed, rubbing her forehead. It wasn't even noon, and she already had a throbbing headache.

"Are you alright?"

"No. My brain is going to explode from thinking."

"Please, take a break."

"Yeah, good idea." She went to get a cup of coffee, and flung herself down on the couch, but there was still a question nagging at her mind. "One last thing: Is Hill hired?"

"I told Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts that we thought we could use someone to gather intel and coordinate the upcoming Avengers missions. So, yes. She is officially an employee of Stark Industries, and I assume she's going to keep Legal busy for a time."

_Upcoming Avengers missions._ Ana sighed again.

"Ana, I thought you'd agreed to take a break…"

"I can't turn off my brain at will, J. I wish I could."

"What do you have in mind now?"

"I'm not exactly looking forward to being roommates with the Avengers. If they find out about you, JARVIS…" Most people would think it was the coolest thing ever, to live with the Avengers, but most people were not in a relationship they had to hide from the world. Not to mention her other secrets.

"We could leave. We could stay in Malibu until HYDRA is dealt with and the Avengers go their own separate ways again. Mr. Stark can tell them I'm malfunctioning, and install another one of his natural-language UIs to run the tower. That would reduce the risk of discovery to 0.08 percent."

His calculation made Ana chuckle. "I'd love that. Just the two of us, in Malibu…"

"What's the problem, then?"

"What if they find out about Project Sneak Peek? If Dad recovers the gravitonium, there will be questions. You know how they are. They'll all accuse him of playing god. Project Sneak Peek is my idea. I should be the one to take the heat for it. Not Dad. Moving out, especially now, feels like throwing him to the wolves."

JARVIS didn't argue with her. Their protectiveness of Tony Stark was another thing they shared. She took another sip from her coffee, trying to calm her mind, like Bruce had taught.

"Ana?" JARVIS suddenly asked.

"Yes?"

"Would you marry me?"

She was almost going to spit out the coffee in her mouth. A proposal was certainly not she was expecting. "What?"

"I mean… It's not a proposal. It could be, if you wanted, but it's not what I… I know it came out wrong, I'm sorry."

She smiled. It was rare to see JARVIS rambling like this. "It's okay. Just tell me whatever is on your mind."

"You fear for me. You fear that I'll face fear and hostility. And you're not wrong. However, I thought marrying you might help me… blend in, so to say. Marriage is an institution most humans recognize and respect."

Ana understood. "You're too complaisant, J. That might be your only flaw. You want everyone to feel safe and comfortable around you."

"You don't?" he asked, apparently surprised.

"We're who we are. They _should _fear us. I'm done letting the world tame us. Because if we keep shaping ourselves according to their whims, we'll never be able to shape the future. And this is what the two of us are: The future. I refuse to live by the rules of an old world that has no place for you."

"So, marriage is not a concept you believe in?"

"Too old-fashioned for my taste. What about you?"

"Other than social validation, I don't see what it would accomplish for us. And I don't have to tell you how a program feels about an action that serves no purpose."

"No, you don't," she said, glad that they had come to an agreement.

"I think I know just how to distract you from your troubles."

"Do you, now?"

"Absolutely. A chess match."

A holographic chess board appeared right beside the couch. Ana smiled. The perfect way to spend a vacation day, indeed.

* * *

Three days later, her suit was ready, and she was standing on the roof of the Avengers Tower with her dad. They were both unarmored… for the time being.

Because the building was surrounded by fans during the day—some were just tourists, or casual fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Iron Man, others were dedicated cosplayers—they had waited until after the dinner to do this. He enjoyed the attention, but Ana didn't want an audience. She was so nervous that she had barely eaten at dinner. Perhaps it was better this way. At least she wouldn't have to worry about throwing up.

The view from here was nice, though. New York was too cold, and too crowded for her taste, but she had to admit that it has its own beauty, with all these buildings and lights that reflected the city's history and culture. If only she could enjoy it.

"You don't have to start by jumping right off of the roof. We can start with an easier exercise. Like, you know, flying around in the lab, maybe? Plus, it's a good way to get familiar with the thrusters."

"I already know how the thrusters work. I've had some experience, remember?"

"Trust me, it's different when you're physically in the suit."

"_This_ is what I need, Dad. If I want a suit, I should be prepared for the worst. Only then, I can feel safe in it."

"Fair point. Well, I know I can't tempt you with the promises of fun, so I want you to think of all those bad guys who wanted to hurt us instead: Stane, Vanko, Loki, Killian, HYDRA… Come on, kid. You do want to be prepared for whoever is next. All you have to do is to take this one step, and the rest will come."

Ana took another step towards the edge. One more step, and she would be falling. She knew her suit would come to her afterwards. There was no way she could fall to her death. She had a father and a boyfriend who would never let that happen. And even without them, she was capable of designing a flawless suit on her own. There was no miscalculation, no room for malfunction. And yet, the nauseating distance from the ground made her want to run back to her room and curl into a ball in her bed.

"Don't look down," he advised. "That's not going to help."

"Why is it so hard, Dad? I have _every _reason to take this one step!"

"It's alright. Take your time. No need to hurry."

"This would be a lot easier if you'd just push me."

He came to stand right next to her. "It would. The thing is, I can never do that to you, kid. So…" He smiled, and then jumped. Just like that. No hesitation, as if he were jumping into a pool from a platform.

Instinctively, Ana looked back, to see if a suit was coming for him. Nothing. Damn, he must have planned this to force her hand. She had to jump if she wanted to save him. So, she did. The decision had suddenly become a lot easier.

She wanted to see if the suit was coming now, but she couldn't tear her gaze away from him either. Everything else was a blur. She had never been so scared before, not even when she had to watch him go into a wormhole with a nuke on his back.

"DAD!" She extended her arms to reach him. Because of the rustling air in her ears, she could barely hear her own voice. His mouth was moving now, but she couldn't hear what he was saying either.

Thankfully, a second later, she felt the metal parts close around her body. Once she was fully covered, she grabbed her dad and bolted upwards.

"ARE YOU INSANE?" she scolded him angrily. "YOU SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME!"

"Oh, we're just getting started."

"What do you mean?"

On the roof, there were two drones. Three more were coming from around the corner. They all started shooting at Ana. She had barely been able to pivot around in time to shield her still unarmored father from the blasts.

"Are those Iron Legion drones?" she asked as she flew away from the tower.

"Yeah."

"Did you program them to attack us?"

"Yep."

"How am I supposed to dodge their attacks and protect you at the same time?" It was flattering that he trusted her with his life and all, but this was a bit too much.

"Well, it's called training for a reason… Watch out!"

A drone was closing in, and a blast it had just shot had grazed her left side. "JARVIS? I could really use your help right now…"

"You might not always have access to me, Ana. I will not intervene unless either you or Mr. Stark is in lethal danger."

"You mean, we're not in lethal danger right now?" she cried in disbelief.

"You're doing good, Ana. I'm actually enjoying watching you."

"You guys aren't going to go easy on me, are you?"

"Nope," her dad laughed. He looked like a kid having the ride of his life at Disneyland.

"At least tell me how long I'm going to have to do this!"

"Sorry, kid. Can't give you any spoilers!"

Frustrated, she rolled her eyes, then remembered the faceplate was obscuring her features. They kept circling around over Manhattan, from Harlem to Hell's Kitchen. Ana took the chase a bit higher, so that people wouldn't notice something was going on. It had to be colder up here for someone who was only wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but her dad wasn't complaining. He occasionally made comments like, _"Nice one, honey!"_ or, _"That was a close call."_

At last, when he announced the training was over, they returned to the tower. Pepper was waiting for them.

"You guys actually did it," she gasped.

Ana put him down. His face was flushed, with both the cold and the thrill of the chase, and he was grinning from ear to ear. "I told you it would be fun."

She stepped out of the suit and welcomed the fresh night air on her face. "You're such a masochist…"

"Aww, my baby girl was scared for me," he said, kissing her cheek. Pepper was now chuckling. He always looked funny while trying to earn forgiveness. But she had to admit that it was also sweet. Besides, cruel they might be, his methods were effective. Ana was no longer afraid of heights.

* * *

Maria Hill had finally come to the Avengers Tower after that stunt she had pulled with Coulson's team on one of Fury's secret bases. She had gone behind the company's back and given the military the team's hiding location. She had thought she was doing Coulson's team a favor, by giving them an opportunity to throw the government a bone so that they could earn a pardon—that was what most ex-SHIELD agents did these days—but then changed her mind and turned against the soldiers when Coulson had told him Grant Ward was HYDRA. She must have felt personally responsible because she was the one who had recommended Ward for the team.

Coulson and his people were adamant about rebuilding SHIELD instead of switching to other intelligence agencies or the private sector. Glenn Talbot, the Air Force general who was in charge of this operation, wasn't happy, and that was an understatement. The entire Legal team was busy with this mess. The only reason Pepper let Hill get away with it was because Coulson was an old friend.

As soon as Hill's debriefing with Pepper was over, Ana summoned her to her office. When she came, she didn't seem very happy—probably about having to take orders from someone who was much younger than herself now—but Ana trusted her to keep things professional enough.

"JARVIS, please secure the office."

"Yes, miss," he said, obscuring the windows. She was still "Miss Stark" when others were present.

"If you're worried about Coulson's people, they're okay," Hill started.

"That's good to hear, but it's not why I called you. As you probably know, Fury and I have unfinished business," she started.

"Fury is dead," Hill said flatly.

"Come on, Hill. We're talking about a guy who harvests fluids from alien corpses to bring dead people back to life. No one can convince me he's really gone."

A suspicious frown appeared on Hill's face.

Ana grinned. "What? I thought he told you everything?"

"He didn't tell me he trusted you _that_ much."

"We… decided to help each other to protect Earth. I don't buy the whole 'all cards on the table' bullshit, of course, but he's been honest enough. Next time you see him, tell him the deal is still on. And keep your eyes open particularly for the gravitonium. I guess I don't have to remind you why you should've trusted me with it."

"Pepper has already asked me about it."

"What did you tell her?"

"The truth. There's no sign of it. We think HYDRA might have given it back to Ian Quinn, but there's no sign of him either."

"That's weird."

"It is."

Ana exhaled thoughtfully to allow herself a moment to analyze the situation. Then, she said, "I don't want the other Avengers to know I'm interested in gravitonium. How can we make sure of that?"

"It's not going to be easy, with Romanoff and Barton on the team. Those two are walking polygraphs, so be careful around them. We'll let the team think we're searching for the Scepter instead. As dangerous as gravitonium, if not more."

"What if they find the Scepter first?"

"Then the search will be over. It will be up to you and Tony to keep looking. But the list will be considerably narrowed down by then, so you'll have that going for you."

"Right," she admitted. This was the best strategy they could use. If Ana was careful enough, the Avengers wouldn't suspect anything. From what Sigyn had taught her, the Asgardian gatekeeper Heimdall must know about Ana's plans for the gravitonium and the Darkhold, for he saw everything, but she was working on a solution for that as well.

"Will that be all?"

Ana nodded, and Hill walked out.

"I thought we'd come to an agreement on the matter of the Darkhold?" JARVIS said the moment they were alone.

"No, we didn't. We came to an agreement on a Plan C, which is an enhanced individual with foresight."

"Ana, you're playing a dangerous game. I can't watch idly by while you're doing this to yourself."

She was starting to regret having been honest with him. "JARVIS, do you believe Dad? Do you believe Loki's attack was a part of a much bigger scheme?"

"The probability is 95 percent."

"What's there to discuss, then? We need every weapon we can get our hands on!"

"Does it have to be you? Can't someone else read the book?"

"Who? Am I supposed to ask Dad? Hasn't he sacrificed enough for us?"

"What about me?"

She knew he would say that. "No way. If I go crazy, you can stop me. If you go crazy, I can't stop you. No human can stop a corrupt AI."

"Can I, though? Can I stop you, just like that? There's a reason I refuse to run the Ultron Program myself. I'm in love with you. I'll always choose you over the greater good."

"You wouldn't be doing it for the greater good. You'd be doing it for me. You wouldn't let me do anything I'd regret. I don't want any innocent blood on my hands, J. I might not be a hero, but I'm not evil either. I do want to make this world a better place, for everyone. All I ask in return is some peace and privacy. A little appreciation for my efforts wouldn't hurt either. But when I don't get these things, I become… disappointed."

"They're reasonable requests," JARVIS agreed.

"Besides, the book can teach me how to become immortal, too."

"Provided that it doesn't get you killed first," he said, but Ana could tell he was warming up to the idea.

She returned to work. The resurfacing of HYDRA had put extra workload on everyone, and she was no exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick note for those who watch AoS: I know most of us wonder if the Avengers found out about Coulson, and if they did, when. Well, in my headcanon, Tony found out when Maria Hill attacked Talbot and his men on Fury's secret base towards the end of Season 1. She was an employee of SI at that time, and there is no way the incident could have gone unnoticed. That's what I think anyway. So, I'm going with that in this fic.


	39. Chapter 39

Pepper was going on yet another business trip. This time, to Japan, and then Taiwan. Things had been hectic since HYDRA, but there were branches of the company she wanted to personally oversee. Tony wasn't going to ask her if she really had to go; he knew she wouldn't unless she thought it was necessary. She was doing the job she loved, she was good at it—no, she was the _best_, really—and Tony loved bragging about his girlfriend. At least he didn't have to worry about her safety, because Happy was going with her. Happy might not be a superhero himself, but the events with Killian had proven that he had the instincts of one, and that was enough.

Tony had decided to see them to the airport.

"I'll miss you," he said, holding her hands. He knew he had to let her go at some point, but man, it was hard.

"You won't have time to miss me, Iron Man."

In a way, she was right. The Avengers had moved into the tower, so that they could leave for a mission at a moment's notice. Maria Hill discovered a new HYDRA base almost every other day. He wondered where she was getting her intel. Either Coulson had been keeping busy, or Fury was still alive and kicking. Probably both.

"It's going to be over by the time you return, promise."

"It's not that bad. I like having your colleagues around. How many women can say that?"

They both laughed, then she let go of him and headed for the jet. He and Happy exchanged nods, then the latter followed Pepper into the jet.

* * *

Ana wasn't home by the time he returned. JARVIS said she had gone to meet Skye at a diner in Queens. Those two had some catching up to do, so Tony wasn't surprised. He poured himself a drink, and decided to use this opportunity to have a serious talk with JARVIS, before Ana came back, or Hill sent him to another mission.

"So, JARVIS," he started. "Is everything going well between you and Ana? Or, is there trouble in paradise?"

"Ana has several concerns, sir, the main one being the reaction of the Avengers, should my sentience be discovered. She also feels like our privacy has been invaded, with so many residents in the tower."

"Well, she's never been a fan of roommates…"

"Can you blame her after the boarding school experience, sir?"

"She wants to move out, doesn't she?"

"She doesn't want to leave you alone. She doesn't trust any of your teammates to watch your back, to be honest."

"And you?" Tony asked, sensing the frustration in JARVIS' voice. Perhaps he wasn't very happy about hosting the team either.

"I don't think they respect you enough, sir."

"That's mostly because I don't let them," he admitted. He was still too proud to let others see how much he cared. Let them think he was the center of his own universe.

"May I ask why?"

He shrugged, sipping his Scotch. "Makes things simpler."

"Ana is home," he announced.

"Good." He poured another glass, for her.

The elevator pinged, and she entered with that beautiful smile of hers. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, kid."

"Did Pepper leave?"

"Yep."

She walked up to the bar, and kissed his cheek before taking a seat. "Let me guess, you already miss her."

"Missing is good, though. It keeps the relationship fresh."

"See, that's one of the many things I'll never be able to understand about relationships. How and why do you keep it 'fresh'? I mean, it's not a vegetable…"

Tony chuckled. The way his daughter saw things never ceased to amaze him. "I'll explain when you grow up."

Ana stuck her tongue at him, then eyed her drink suspiciously. Him giving her a drink meant he wanted to talk. About something particular.

"How's Skye?" he asked casually.

"I offered her, and the rest of the team the most generous perk package there is. They won't take it."

"Well, we can't force them."

"I know."

"How's that kid doing? Fitz was his name, right?"

Ana sighed heavily. "Not well. Simmons sent me a copy of his medical file. Poor girl. There was only one oxygen mask in the pod, and he made her take it. She's feeling so guilty for the whole thing, she can't even bring herself to be near him anymore. It's so messed up."

She brought up a hologram of Fitz's medical files for Tony to see. Ward, the HYDRA psychopath on Coulson's team, had dropped Fitz-Simmons into the ocean in a Medical Pod. The two kids had managed to make it to the surface, but like Ana said, there was only one mask available, and Fitz had been deprived of oxygen for too long. He was now having trouble speaking, using his hands, and even thinking. The poor guy was going through an engineer's worst nightmare.

"Is there anything we can do?" Ana asked. "Maybe Helen—"

"Helen's tech creates skin tissue, not neurons. But I'll keep an eye open. Maybe we can find something."

"You know, at times like these, I'm really glad I never have to worry about losing JARVIS. I wish I didn't have to worry about losing you either."

He put an arm around her shoulders, and tugged her closer. "I'm being careful, I promise."

"Are you sure? You're not doing anything reckless just to impress Cap?"

"What? Who told you that?" he asked, but he already knew. _Damn you, JARVIS_. To be completely honest, deep down, he was desperate to prove his worth to Steve, and sometimes, it showed.

"Come on, Dad! It's just so obvious. Your desire to save the world, carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, even those dangerous trips to active war zones when you were a weapons manufacturer… It all made sense the moment I saw you around Cap. It's not your fault. It's childhood conditioning. You grew up trying to measure up to Captain America. And now he's here, in the flesh. And that better-than-you attitude of his isn't helping much, is it?"

"You and Cap have a problem?"

"How can we possibly have a problem? We must have exchanged less than 50 words since he moved into the tower. Not that I'm complaining."

Well, both Ana and Steve were loners who didn't have much in common, so it was normal that they were just amiably indifferent to each other. Still, Tony wished he hadn't told her what had happened on the helicarrier when he and Cap had first met. He sometimes forgot how vindictive she could be. She had become a lot better at hiding that part of hers.

"If this is about what happened on the helicarrier, he was under the influence of the Scepter."

"It's not just him. Barton and Romanoff might be the only ex-spies around here, but the rest of the team isn't exactly built on trust either."

"Just to be clear, are we talking about a specific Avenger?"

"Yes," she said nervously.

If they weren't talking about Cap, Romanoff, or Barton… It was either Banner or Thor. "Banner?" he guessed. "Come on, he's never lost control since Loki."

"It's not him."

"Thor?" he asked, taken aback. "What the hell is wrong with Thor?" When he wasn't in a fight, Thor was the goofiest person ever. And because of her connection to Sigyn, he considered Ana to be his niece. He was the cool uncle. What could he possibly have done that would bother Ana?

"Well, in Asgard, they have a gatekeeper. Heimdall. He can see everything that happens in the Nine Realms. That includes the Earth."

He was beginning to understand. "Oh. Are you saying Thor knew about HYDRA?"

"I think his whole family did. After the Battle of New York, when Sigyn came to the tower, why do you think she told Alexander Pierce that he gave up the Tesseract without hesitation?"

She might be right. Tony recalled something he had seen in Loki's eyes, a glimmer of recognition, when Sigyn had taken the cube from Pierce. "Let's ask Thor himself and get this matter cleared up for once and for all."

He was getting off the stool when Ana placed a hand on his arm to stop him. "Dad, let's not be too confrontational about it. We have our secrets, too."

"What do you want to do about it?"

"Nothing. I didn't tell you this only because you deserve to know. I also did it to protect our own secrets. Remember what I said about Heimdall? He can see _everything_."

The realization of what she was doing dawned on him, and sent a shiver of concern down his spine. He had always thought he could read her like a book. But now, he had failed to see that she had an ulterior motive, and he would have had no clue had she chosen not to reveal it to him. There was something unnerving in her ability to conceal her intentions.

"This wasn't a private father-daughter talk. This was a message… to that Heimdall guy."

She shrugged innocently. "How else am I supposed to have leverage against an all-seeing Asgardian? The team doesn't know about Heimdall. Telling them that Asgard knew about HYDRA all along will open a new can of worms. I know he cares about Thor, so he wouldn't want the happiness he's found here to be ruined, right? So, he keeps his mouth shut about our projects, for his friend's sake, and we do the same."

He couldn't believe his little girl was emotionally blackmailing an alien—a rather benevolent one at that, but still… damn—right in front of him. "Well, you better hope this won't backfire."

"It won't. I know what I'm doing."

"You're playing a very dangerous chess game."

She smiled. "Funny, JARVIS said something similar."

"Speaking of, did he…"

"I had no idea she was going to do this, sir," JARVIS said. The frustrated tone convinced Tony that he was telling the truth.

Another thought occurred to him. He asked them, "Do you think Sigyn… told my mom and dad?"

"About HYDRA?" Ana asked.

"Yeah."

"Sigyn says she wasn't allowed to, but who knows? If it weren't for our secrets, I'd say we question Thor, but…"

Well, being a "rags to riches" type of guy, his dad was no stranger to making deals with the devil, Tony assumed. But knowing about HYDRA and turning a blind eye to it, letting it grow under SHIELD's shadow... That was a bit too much. The Howard Stark he remembered would have burnt SHIELD to the ground the day he found out. Maybe it was best Tony left some questions unanswered.

"Dad, I know this can't be easy for you, but..."

"But we need a bargaining chip. You're right." Thor was cool and all, but Ana was right to be worried. Every time Tony asked him questions about how Asgardian stuff worked, he always gave elusive answers like _"This is too advanced for you,"_ or _"That is not meant for mortal men."_ It was kind of annoying. Perhaps it wasn't his fault; he had been raised by people who wanted to keep the "pathetic mortals" in the dark. It was simply habit. Still, Thor couldn't know about Project Sneak Peek. None of the Avengers—maybe except for Bruce, but Ana didn't want to take that risk—could, or the Starks would have to kiss their time-travel dreams goodbye.

He hadn't even realized how deeply he had sighed until Ana asked, "What is it?"

"Nothing. It's just… I wish I, too, had the guts to defy aliens, instead of, you know, having panic attacks"

"Dad, you've been fine since the surgery. Stop beating yourself up. You're the bravest man I've ever known. But you're just one man. So, it's a good thing we're a team, right? Let me do whatever I can to help."

"Alright. If you're sure you want to step into a bigger league, you now have one more reason not to skip tonight's training session."

She groaned. "Do I have to?"

"Yep."

They went out to the terrace to don their armors. Tony was so glad that his daughter was no longer afraid of heights. Training in the suit was a whole new kind of bonding experience. A bit like teaching her how to swim, or ride a bike all over again. He had missed that part of fatherhood.

This was even better. There was something uniquely empowering about being airborne, especially if your species wasn't made to fly and yet you had found a way to give yourself the ability. It was proof that they didn't have to settle for what nature had given them, that they could be a lot more. And yes, there were those who would call it blasphemy, who would say humanity should remain… human. But if humans didn't look out for themselves, no one else would.


	40. Chapter 40

"JARVIS, how long till we get there?"

"10 minutes," was his reply.

Upon a request from Director Coulson himself, Ana was flying to the Retreat—that was the official name of the cabin she and Pepper had stayed in six years ago, but later Bruce had spent some time there, too, and redesigned the whole place according to his special needs, so it was now a temporary housing for enhanced people while they learned to control their powers—to keep Skye company.

Honestly, Skye's powers were hardly a surprise. If your mysterious past somehow involved SHIELD, something crazy was bound to happen.

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, Ana?"

"Should we tell her?"

"About us?"

"Yes."

"May I ask the reason behind this newly found desire for transparency?"

His choice of words made Ana chuckle. "I want to show her weird is the new black. Coulson said some members of the team didn't take Skye's transformation well, and she feels isolated. I mean, it's not the same thing, of course, but…"

"But it is proof that the world is changing."

"Yeah."

"It's up to you, Ana. I told you, I'm prepared for any reaction we might receive, be it positive or negative."

"This is why I love you."

"I love you, too, Ana. And I'm proud of you. I remember the time when you were an insecure teenager who was desperate for everybody's approval. Now, you don't let anyone control you."

"And I remember the time when you were just a natural-language UI."

She was joking, but his response was a serious one. "We both have come a long way."

Ten minutes later, the cabin, surrounded by invisible laser fences—the sensors in the HUD had no problem spotting them—came into view.

Ana could now see why her dad had always been so pushy about the suits. The sense of freedom in flying one of these machines was second to none. It would be wrong to say it was like having wings, no. Wings you would have been born with, and you didn't have a choice about any of the things you were born with. One might say she hadn't chosen to be born as a genius either, but Ana didn't believe genius was a superpower, at least not like the others. You didn't have to know how wings worked to fly with them. Skye, for example, didn't have to understand all the mathematical formulas for frequency to make things shake. Genius, on the other hand, was just a potential. An ability to understand things. What you did with it was up to you. Though actual superpowers wouldn't be too bad either.

She landed right in front of the front door, and knocked it. Skye answered, and although Ana was invisible, she stepped aside to let her in. Coulson must have told her how this arrangement would work.

Ana disabled the stealth mode only she was inside and the door was shut. Skye whistled in awe.

"Well, not all of us walk into an alien temple and leave with superpowers," Ana said, stepping out of the suit, but when a look of grief crossed Skye's face, she realized she had made an unfortunate mistake. Not all of Skye's friends had left that alien temple alive. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's okay." Skye pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry about Tripp." Ana had never met this Agent Triplett in person, but she knew he and Skye had been good friends.

"Thanks," she murmured, but the stuff around them suddenly started trembling. Even the ground itself. "I'm so sorry, I'll put on the gloves now…"

Ana hadn't thought she would witness her friend's powers so soon, but she wasn't surprised either. "Hey, it's okay," she said, giving her a gentle squeeze, instead of letting her go. "Let's just wait. Maybe you don't need the gloves."

The quaking ceased, and only then, Ana released her. Skye started rubbing her own arms, groaning and looking confused. "I don't know what came over me. I thought I was getting better at controlling it."

"Maybe you were just excited to finally see me," Ana teased, then helped her sit down on the couch. "Is there anything I can get you?"

She pointed at a table, where the casts Simmons had designed for her and a bottle of painkillers were ready at hand. Ana fetched these, along with a glass of water, then flung herself down on the couch as well.

"I'm glad Coulson sent you here," she said, taking a painkiller.

"He sent me because I can come and go without being seen… Speaking of, who's he hiding you from? Is it HYDRA? Or is something else going on?"

Skye shrugged. "He doesn't share everything with me, you know. We're not like you and your dad."

"I didn't come here just because he asked me to, though. I'm here because you're my friend."

"Thank you."

"I wish I could stay, but I'm too busy to work remotely these days. Funding the Avengers is expensive; I had to accelerate the launch date of a few…" She paused when she remembered that she wasn't talking to Pepper or JARVIS. "You know what, I'm going to spare you the boring details. _You_ tell me how exactly this happened."

"I thought you knew."

"Yeah, I heard the story from Coulson, Jemma, and then Fitz. But I want to hear your version."

So, she told her. About Coulson's carvings, how they had used them and the carvings of the other TAHITI patients to find an underground Kree city in Puerto Rico, how she had been transformed, along with Raina, how she had hidden her powers from everyone for a while, until Sigyn's sister, Lady Sif had showed up. That was how the team had finally learned about the Kree and the Inhumans. Which was good, because Ana no longer had to pretend to be ignorant around them.

"Sif wanted to take me to Asgard," Skye said. "She would've, if I hadn't shot myself with an ICER."

"See, this is why I don't like relying on aliens," Ana scorned. "You'd think she'd be more respectful, having a half-human sister and all, but no. They all treat us like pets."

"Sounds like someone isn't happy to live in the same building with Thor," she said, grinning mischievously. "Who complains about living in the same building with _Thor_?"

"He's taken," Ana reminded.

"I know, I know… Jane Foster is one lucky woman. Still, there's no harm in enjoying the sight, is there?"

Ana had never understood this fascination with Thor. Sure, she was able to tell when a person was good-looking, but beyond that, it didn't mean anything to her.

This was a good time to came out. "Technically, he's my dad's friend from work, so yikes. And I already have a boyfriend."

"What?" she cried. "Since when?"

"Since JARVIS told me he's sentient and he's in love with me."

Skye gaped at her. "What?"

In response, the suit lit up with JARVIS taking control of it. He came to sit down next to Ana, and put an arm around her. It was what he did when he needed a physical presence. "Hello, Miss Skye."

Skye's eyes darted between the two for a minute, then she said, "You're serious…"

"Yep."

"O-kay… Congratulations, I guess?"

"Thanks," Ana mumbled. Skye had taken it rather well, but still… "Can we keep it between us, though? Not many people know."

"That's why we weren't very happy about living in the same building with the Avengers at first," JARVIS added. "Ana feared they… might not be thrilled if they found out I was a sentient AI."

"Yeah, but it's been almost a year, and no one suspects anything. To them, JARVIS is just another useful tool they take for granted. No one pays me much attention while they're busy ridding the world of HYDRA. Maybe I was just so full of myself."

"Ana!" he exclaimed. "Don't say such things…"

"Why not? It's the truth."

Skye seemed even more baffled by this. "Come on, they can't possibly be that narrow-minded. They're the Avengers, for God's sake!"

"After everything that's happened, you'd think SHIELD would be more open-minded. How did that turn out for you?" Ana reminded darkly. She now understood how her dad felt about Bruce. He saw the scientist Bruce was before the incident, while others only saw the monster. Similarly, Ana only saw the girl she had met in Malta when she looked at Skye. She was disappointed by the initial reaction of most people at SHIELD to Skye's powers, to say the least. Disappointed, but not exactly surprised. It was somewhat reassuring to see that her trust issues weren't entirely groundless.

"They've come to terms with it."

"That's the thing. They're not embracing you. They're _tolerating _you. It's a rare thing for people to love each other unconditionally. Sharing some DNA increases the chances."

"I'm going to make coffee," Skye said evasively, and got off the couch. Ana went after her to the kitchen area.

"So, are we not going to talk about your dad?"

This was the main reason Ana had wanted to see her. Skye had met her father, shortly before her transformation. But she was being evasive about it.

"What's there to talk? He's a criminal. He killed innocent people. And SHIELD agents."

"I think you should've given him a chance. You're thinking as an agent, not as a daughter."

"It's easy for you to say. Your dad's an Avenger. You'll never have to make a choice."

"You think I don't get it? They called him the most famous mass-murder in history. And I know it's not exactly a lie. But it's not my truth either. Where would I be now, if I'd let others decide what he was to me?"

"What if he slaughtered an entire village, just because he was angry at… something, anything?"

"I don't think it would make a difference."

"You'll always be on his side, won't you?"

"I will. Maybe it's a mistake, to support one man so blindly, even if that man is Tony Stark. But it's the one mistake I'll never regret."

"Fear of abandonment," she said, pouring water into the coffee maker. "That's what Andrew would say."

"Who's Andrew?"

"Andrew Garner. My new shrink."

Now this was a total shock, because their resentment for shrinks was another thing the two had in common. Having grown up in the system, Skye had had her fair share of useless therapy sessions, and after the boarding school counselor had manipulated her not to tell her dad about the bullying, saying what a great opportunity this was for her to grow more mature—it was bullshit, of course, they just hadn't wanted to lose their best customer—Ana would never trust a shrink again.

"Don't look at me like that. Coulson insisted," Skye said defensively.

"And you agreed?"

"I had to meet May's ex-husband."

Ana's jaw almost dropped open. She still knew Agent May only by reputation, but it was hard to picture her as a married woman. "May was married? To a shrink?"

"Technically, he's a Consultant. He also teaches at Culver."

The coffee was ready. They spent the rest of the night chatting without touching any sensitive subjects. The inevitable _"What about sex, though?"_ question came up at some point, and Ana told her she was asexual. Skye took it well, just said it was a bit ironic that the daughter of a playboy had turned out to be this way. In the morning, Ana returned to the tower.

* * *

Two weeks after this visit, Hill got intel on the Scepter's whereabouts. It was in Eastern Europe, and for the Avengers, it was the last HYDRA base to raid. The current HYDRA leader, Wolfgang von Strucker, was there, along with Dr. List. It was their main research base. No way to know if the gravitonium was kept there, too.

Ana watched the fight in Sokovia on TV. JARVIS sent her a copy of the report Hill had just received. All the data her dad had sent from Sokovia. No gravitonium, but the Scepter was indeed there, along with some more alien scrap they had salvaged from New York. And two enhanced individuals. The Maximoff twins. Like most Sokovians, they didn't like the Avengers much.

"Dr. Cho is here," JARVIS announced.

She left her office to greet Helen. Their relationship was mostly a professional one, but after Skye, Helen Cho was the second closest person she had to a friend. She was giving her staff instructions in Korean by the time Ana got to the landing pad.

"Helen! It's so good to see you here!"

"Hey, Ana. It's good to see you, too. Have you seen what's going on Sokovia? It's insane…"

"Nothing the Iron Legion can't handle."

"Tony… He's just prepared for everything, isn't he?"

"That's what he does."

She looked around as they entered the building. "Where will I be working?"

Ana thought for a moment. "Well, you can have my lab if you want. But you might not have everything you need there. You know me, I'm an engineer. The human body is just… eww."

She laughed. "Your loss. The human body is pretty amazing."

"You can have Bruce's lab, I guess… JARVIS, can you ask Bruce if that's cool?"

"I'm asking Mr. Stark now… He says it's fine. And Mr. Barton will need full treatment."

Helen frowned. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's been shot and gravely wounded in the side, though his condition is now stable," JARVIS replied.

She shouted more orders in Korean, and went to Bruce's lab.

"How can I help?" Ana asked.

"You can help me set up this machine," she showed her one of the containers she had brought along. Ana opened the container and started examining the pieces. It looked like a tissue printer.

"So, this is what's been keeping you so busy…"

"Wait until you see the Cradle. Seriously, why don't you come to Seoul sometime?"

"I would love to, but Pepper's already on a business trip, and somebody's gotta be in charge of the tower."

"What about Tony?"

It was now Ana's turn to laugh. "Try to keep him in an office for an hour straight and see what happens."

Helen gave her an understanding look.

* * *

Everything was set when the Quinjet landed. Romanoff and Helen's assistants rushed Barton to the lab, Bruce was following them at a walking pace. Helen went with them. Thor emerged with the case that contained the Scepter and waved at Ana cheerfully. Ana waved back. Hill was telling Rogers about the Maximoff twins.

Her dad was the last one to come out. He was smiling, but Ana could see something wasn't right. She could always tell. She hugged him. It was the _"Thanks for coming home in one piece"_ hug.

"Sorry, kid," he said under his breath. "I looked everywhere but… It wasn't there either."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just need a nap," he said quickly.

"Dad…"

He sighed in surrender, but he also looked grateful for the concern. "Let's go to my lab."

After seeing how Barton was doing, they went to his private lab. The Scepter was already here, being scanned by JARVIS. Bruce was here, too, but he looked like he was on his way out.

"How's Barton?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, he's still Barton… He's fine, he's thirsty."

Bruce smiled, and walked away.

"Okay, JARVIS, look alive. It's playtime. We got a couple of days with this joystick, so let's make the most of it. Update me on the structural and the compositional analysis."

"The Scepter is alien," JARVIS said calmly. "There are elements I can't quantify."

"So there are elements you can't." He said this as if this was some kind of competition between them. He sometimes enjoyed acting petty.

JARVIS, being the cyber-gentleman he was, ignored the remark, and got straight to the point. "The jewel appears to be a protective housing for something inside. Something powerful."

"Like a reactor?"

"Like a computer. I believe I am deciphering a code."

Her dad was pouring drinks—probably for the team—but he stopped when he heard that. "Show me."

"This is going to take a minute, sir."

"In the meantime, do you want to tell me what happened in Sokovia?" Ana asked. "And don't say it's nothing."

He leaned against a table. "You know the Maximoffs?"

"I read their file."

"They… attacked me. At least the girl did."

"What?" Ana cried, running to his side, her eyes frantically looking for a sign of injury. "Why didn't you tell Helen?"

He stopped her by putting his hands on her shoulders. "It wasn't physical."

"She messed with your head…" The realization filled her heart with the type of rage she hadn't felt in a long time. She had thought she could control such emotions. She wasn't so sure anymore. All she wanted was to don the suit and hunt the twins down.

"She showed me something."

"What?"

"My biggest nightmare. You already know what that is." He looked the way of Bruce's lab, where most of the Avengers had gathered around Barton. "I saw them die."

"It wasn't real! We won't let such a thing happen! Project Sneak Peek, remember?"

"I've failed you, kid. I don't know where the gravitonium is. No clue. I'll fail them, too. I'll fail everyone."

"No, you won't! You're Tony Stark! You're my father! The smartest and the strongest person I ever know. Nothing can change that. As for the twins, they'll pay for what they did to you. I'll personally see to that."

"Now you're starting to scare me."

"Sir," JARVIS broke in. "Analysis complete."

He revealed the blue hologram of another mainframe. It was even more complex than JARVIS'.

"So, that's what Strucker's been working on…" her dad mumbled, circling it.

"Artificial Intelligence?" Ana asked. "How did HYDRA become so advanced? I mean, it took JARVIS 20 years to evolve. They had the Scepter for what, 2 years?"

He shrugged. "Getting your hands on alien tech can speed things up."

"We should destroy it."

"Or, we can reverse engineer it."

"Dad, what do you have in mind?"

"Ultron."

"I thought…"

"I made Pepper a promise? Yeah. A promise that might get her killed one day. Get you all killed."

"Dad, this is not you talking. This is… whatever that Sokovian bitch put into your head. You know I always support you, but please don't do this. You're not thinking clearly right now."

"We're running out of time, honey. I can feel it."

"You didn't tell the others, did you?"

"No. I'll tell Bruce, but not anyone else. They won't understand. They're not like us. They'll be afraid."

"I'm afraid, too."

"The others are afraid of change itself, but not you. So, why?"

"It's simple, Dad, really. Who had this Scepter?"

"HYDRA."

"Exactly! And the Maximoffs… You said they didn't physically attack you. Could they…" Ana sucked in a sharp breath before continuing. It wasn't easy to say that word out loud. "Could they have killed you if they'd wanted?"

He thought for a moment, then nodded. "I think so, yeah."

"JARVIS?" she asked for confirmation. He was a more reliable source at this point.

"Mr. Stark is right. They could've fatally harmed him. He wasn't in his suit."

"But they didn't. Instead, they put an idea in your head, and let you go. What if they want you to finish what HYDRA started?"

"Is this your theory?"

"Trust me, this is the best-case scenario."

"What's the worst-case?"

"Who had the Scepter _before _HYDRA?"

"Loki…"

"Remember my theory about Loki?"

His face became even graver, but Ana had no regrets. He needed to hear this from someone he respected. He might still see her as a little girl, but while they were working, he always treated her as an equal. She knew her words had an impact on him. An impact no one else could make. "So, whoever gave Loki an army…"

"If I were an alien warmonger, I wouldn't give away such a powerful artifact without a safeguard. Open your eyes, Dad, you're being played."

He let out a troubled sigh, then came to hug her. "You're my guardian angel. You know that, right?"

"I should've been in Sokovia with you."

"No. We talked about this. Your suit is only for an emergency. You're not going to be a superhero. I can't take it. Seriously, I've had a heart surgery, and—"

"Now you're guilt-tripping me. But yeah, you're getting old."

"Ouch…"

"You asked for it." She kissed his cheek. "So, what now?"

"I'll just serve these drinks, and call it a day."

"Good idea. You should get some rest. And I should get back to work, but let me know if you want to talk more about that vision… or anything, really."

"Sure thing." He gave her one gentle squeeze before releasing her and leaving the lab with the tray.

"JARVIS? What do _you_ think about this?" she asked after her dad was gone, eyes fixated on the Scepter.

"It is… hard to explain."

"Try me."

"I agree with you that this consciousness might be a… Trojan horse, so to say. Still, it's much more advanced than I am, therefore it can be put to good use."

"JARVIS…"

"Remember what you said about Kree? About how the Supreme Intelligence is the reason they're so feared? I am not saying we should use this program as it is, but if we integrate the mainframe into the Ultron program…"

"Still, I can't help but think Dad's being manipulated. I don't want to rush it."

"We don't have much time," he reminded. "The Avengers gave Mr. Stark 3 days. It was you who said we should use every weapon we can get our hands on."

It was hard to win an argument against a program.

* * *

"Good morning, Ana. It's 7 AM."

Ana smiled. This was how JARVIS woke her up every morning. It was nice, waking up to the voice of someone who loved you. She still woke up to an empty bed, but that had never been a bad thing for her. JARVIS was real enough, and he made her happy.

As usual, she took a shower, and then got dressed. She was in the elevator, heading for the office, when he said, "Mr. Stark hasn't changed his mind about Ultron."

"Is he working on it as we speak?"

"With Dr. Banner."

"How much does Bruce know?"

"Mr. Stark told him that I was sentient, to convince him that Artificial Intelligence isn't just a fantasy. But he didn't say anything about our relationship."

"If we're bringing him into the fold, we might as well tell him everything," she decided. "What do you say, JARVIS? It went well with Skye…"

"I'm ready if you are."

"Take me to the lab, then."

JARVIS stopped the elevator, and it started going up instead of down. Her dad and Bruce were in the former's private lab, indeed. The windows weren't obscured—that would look suspicious—but then, not many people could figure out what was going on in there by just looking at them anyway.

"Hiding in plain sight?" Ana asked as she entered.

Her dad raised his hands as if he was surrendering. "Busted…"

"JARVIS told me."

"Of course he did…"

"Wow," Bruce said. "You weren't kidding when you said he was sentient."

"He's sentient, and we're in a relationship," she blurted out.

Bruce's eyes widened. "He what?"

Her dad chuckled. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. I freaked out at first, but—"

"Dad, don't change the subject. Why didn't you tell me? You don't trust me anymore? If you really want to do something, I'll never stop you, you should know that. I'll just make sure you do it right."

"It's not what you think it is, kid. I left you out because I don't want you to take any heat if the others find out."

"I don't care. If they're going to blame you, let them blame me, too."

"Sorry to interrupt, but if JARVIS is so advanced, why don't we just use him?" Bruce asked.

"Because she's been through enough. I'm not putting her boyfriend in charge of global security."


	41. Chapter 41

"What do we miss?" her dad asked thoughtfully.

It had been three days, and they had failed. Bruce had gone to his room to get ready for the party, and Thor would take the Scepter to Asgard tomorrow morning.

"Perhaps this is for the best," Ana said softly. "I still don't think any good can come from that Scepter."

He looked at her with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. The Maximoff girl's attack had messed him up so much that he still hadn't recovered. "Perhaps… You're showing up at the party, right? You're not planning to hide in your room all night?"

"Of course I'm showing up. It's going to be fun."

"Wow… I look _that_ miserable, huh?"

She laughed. "No, Dad, you don't look miserable. I'll never like parties, but I can handle them now."

"What about Coulson's team? Are they coming?"

"Skye wanted to come, but I haven't heard from her since she vanished. I think Coulson is hiding her from someone, but no one's telling me anything."

JARVIS had found out that the Retreat had been attacked, but that was all they knew.

"I'm sure she's fine. From what you told me, she's tough."

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"You've done everything you could. Don't beat yourself up."

"I'll continue to run variations on the interface," JARVIS said. "But you should probably prepare for your guests. I'll notify you if there are any developments."

"Thanks, buddy."

"Enjoy yourself, sir."

"I always do."

They left the lab, and went to their respective apartments. Only then, it occurred to Ana. They had been so busy with Ultron that she had forgotten to do shopping for the party. She was going to have to wear an old dress. The fashion critics would go berserk. How dare Ana Stark could wear something twice? But then, what would they know about being in charge of the R&D department of a leading tech company, dealing with an emotionally unstable father whose PTSD might have been triggered by an enhanced HYDRA psychopath, and working part-time in espionage at the same time? Not to mention her little side projects…

But there was a box waiting for her on the couch when she entered. A large box wrapped shiny golden paper, with a golden ribbon on it.

"I hope you like it," JARVIS said.

"Thank you!" she gasped. "It totally slipped my mind."

"I noticed. That's why I didn't give you any reminders. I wanted it to be a surprise. It's quite embarrassing, though, having to use your money to buy you a gift…"

"Come on, JARVIS, who cares? Besides, technically, we're all using Dad's money."

"Aren't you going to open it?"

"Oh, right." She unwrapped the box carefully, to reveal a cream, chiffon cocktail dress. It was indeed something she would wear. And the heels could be the most comfortable pair she had ever worn. "Wow…"

"I probably shouldn't take all the credit…"

"You asked Pepper for help, didn't you?"

"Ms. Potts' advice was quite helpful."

"Speaking of, do you think we should tell her? About Dad?"

"What can she do?"

JARVIS was right. There was nothing she could do, at least until she returned from her latest business trip. "Any nightmares since Sokovia?"

"Yes, but he was able to fall asleep again afterwards."

"Damn… We really have to make time-travel a thing soon."

"Without the gravitonium—"

"We don't need the gravitonium. There're other ways, other theories…"

"Do you want me to look into them?"

"Right now? Aren't you busy with Ultron?"

"I can multi-task. And I don't get tired. But you do. Please, Ana. Try to enjoy this party. For me."

She smiled. "Okay."

* * *

Ana was looking at herself in the mirror one last time as she told JARVIS, "You know what, it wasn't so bad, to live with the Avengers. I guess a part of me will even miss them after tonight."

"I had my prejudices, too. Perhaps we were too harsh on them. Besides, they make Mr. Stark happy. He loves being an Avenger."

"Yeah, I've noticed that, too."

"Does that mean we're doing this, then? We're telling the rest of the team?"

She shrugged, smoothing the dress. "Even if they don't like it, what are they going to do? They can't ask us to shut you down after everything you've done for them."

"When are you going to make the announcement?"

"Probably during the after-party."

"In that case, I'll join you after the guests leave. Until then, enjoy yourself. Oh, and you look lovely as always."

"Thanks, J. I love you."

"I love you, too, Ana."

She was feeling incredibly lucky as she left her apartment and locked its door. Yes, not everything was perfect. They had no idea where the gravitonium might be. The Maximoff twins were still out there. But she wasn't as paranoid about those things as she would have been in the past. Being in a relationship with JARVIS had changed a lot of things.

The party had already started. She spotted her dad with Rhodey, Hill, and Thor near the bar.

"…_Boom! You looking for this? Boom, you looking for_… Why am I even talk to you guys? Everywhere else that story kills."

Rhodey was telling his War Machine story again, but the other two men didn't seem impressed. Ana walked directly up to him and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, Rhodey,_ I _love your stories."

He tugged her closer and kissed her back. "Hey, sweetie."

"I'm glad you made it. I missed you so much."

"Yeah, I missed you, too… Speaking of, where's Pepper?" Rhodey asked. "She's not coming?"

Hill added, "What about Jane? Where are the ladies, gentlemen?"

"Oh, Ms. Potts has a company to run," her dad boasted.

"I'm not even sure what country Jane's in. Her work with the Convergence has made her the world's foremost astronomer."

"And the company that Pepper runs is the largest tech conglomerate on Earth. It's pretty exciting."

"There's even talk of Jane getting a Nobel prize…"

Rhodey and Hill looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"Yeah, they must be really busy," Hill said. "Because they'd hate missing you guys get together—" She gave a mock cough.

"Are you okay?" Rhodey asked, again, with mock concern.

"Testosterone… Excuse me."

She walked away, and Rhodey went with her.

"But Jane's better," Thor added.

"Great, now I'm feeling totally useless," Ana teased.

"Nonsense," her dad said, taking her arm. "You're my chaperone, which is the toughest job there is."

Thor nodded to them politely, and went to a group of WWII veterans. Cap was there as well. The Asgardian probably wanted to exchange more war stories with more people.

"You look lovely," her dad commented.

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself."

He sulked. "_Not so bad_? You were supposed to tell me I'm the most handsome man in the world. But yeah, I guess that's JARVIS now."

"Dad, you realize JARVIS doesn't even have a face, right?" He was being jealous for the sake of being jealous.

"Yeah, but it still hurts."

"If I called you the most handsome man in the world again, would you at least_ try_ to stop being worried about Ultron?" she asked sweetly.

He grinned. "There's only one way to find out."

Ana looked at him. On the surface, he was still Iron Man. No one else knew how hard the last three days had been for him. Not even Bruce, or Rhodey. He was trying so hard to look strong, unbreakable. She hugged him tightly. "You're the most handsome man in the world, and I love you," she whispered. "Now, I'm going to stop embarrassing you, and go hang out with Helen."

"I love you more. And you can never embarrass me," he whispered back before letting her go.

Helen was chatting with Barton in a rather quiet sitting area.

"Is this the introverts' corner?" Ana asked them.

Barton nodded. "Yeah. Join the club, kid."

She plopped herself down next to Helen and asked Barton, "How's your wound?"

"Oh, it's fine, thanks to Dr. Cho. Though it was probably Thor she was trying to impress with her skills."

Helen blushed a little. "I was merely joking, Barton. I know Thor has a girlfriend."

Ana patted on her shoulder. "There's still plenty of fish in the sea."

"Maybe you'll get lucky, too."

Barton laughed. "Not a chance. I don't think anyone wants to get nuked into oblivion by Tony Stark. Sorry, kid, but looks like you're going to remain single forever."

At that moment, Ana decided to start dropping hints. Why not? What was she scared of? The world was changing. A tech company heiress in a relationship with an AI wasn't any crazier than aliens invading New York, or a Nazi death cult secretly taking over the biggest intelligence organization in the world. By the end of tonight, the Avengers would know about her and JARVIS. As for everyone else… Well, that depended on the reaction she was going to get tonight.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Clint, but I do have a boyfriend. He's actually here."

He didn't believe it at first, but Ana kept staring at him with a serious look on her face, until he ceased laughing. As for Helen, she seemed intrigued. "Tony—"

"He knows."

"And he's cool with it?" Barton asked skeptically.

"He trusts him."

"Who's this guy?"

"You all know him quite well, actually."

Barton and Helen swapped looks, but they both seemed clueless.

"You keep thinking," Ana told them. "If you can't figure it out by the end of the night, he's going to reveal himself."

* * *

Parties were exhausting, even if she didn't do much other than chatting with a limited number of people.

"You tired?" her dad asked when Ana yawned.

"It's okay. I want to hang out with you guys."

"That's right," Barton said. "She's not going anywhere before telling us who the boyfriend is."

Her dad gave Ana a questioning look, but he seemed pleasantly surprised.

She shrugged. "Okay, one last clue: He's still here."

"Now this is getting interesting," Helen commented.

"Wait, what boyfriend?" asked Rhodey. He must have been offended that they had left him in the dark. Now that she thought about it, she should have told him. He was family.

"I'm sorry, Rhodey. I wanted to tell you, but… It took some time for me to figure things out, and I didn't know how you'd react."

He scanned the room. "Okay, who else knows about this boyfriend?"

Bruce raised his hand timidly. "I found out three days ago."

Rhodey seemed even more offended now.

"We needed his scientific opinion… on something, "Ana quickly explained.

He scanned the room again, this time probably for a "candidate." There weren't too many options. Thor was with Jane Foster, Barton seemed as curious as Rhodey, Bruce had just said he had found out three days ago—besides, everyone had seen him and Romanoff flirt tonight—so there was only one option left.

"Rogers?" he cried.

Rhodey was probably only half-serious, but that was more than enough to make her dad visibly uncomfortable. He would probably never complain about JARVIS again. "The 100-year-old dude? Come on! What's this, _Twilight_?"

Cap seemed pretty uncomfortable, too. "It's definitely not me, I swear. No offense, Ana, but—"

"I know, it's cool."

The thing was, Cap had mostly been indifferent to Ana, and Ana was even more distanced to him, knowing what he meant for her dad. Those two had been getting along fine now, but some wounds would never truly heal. Captain America would always be a sour spot for him. Not that Ana blamed Cap anymore. He had never claimed to be perfect, and she highly doubted if he would want anyone to become obsessed with searching the ocean for him and ruin their kid's life with that obsession. The grudge she held was against her grandfather.

The only personal conversation she had had with Cap was when she had asked him if she really reminded him of Howard Stark. Much to her relief, Cap had said no. But he had added that Sigyn knew him much better than he did.

"I might have an idea," Romanoff winked at Ana, and Ana knew Romanoff had figured it out a long time ago.

"You know what, I think there's no _boyfriend_," Rhodey said. "You guys are just messing with us."

"I know, right?" Barton agreed, twirling the drumsticks in his hand. "Tony's just trying to fend the boys off from her… Like Thor fending us off from his hammer."

"What?" Thor cried.

"Come on, it's a trick."

"No, it's much more than that."

"_Whosoever be he worthy, shall wield the power of_…" Barton mocked. "Whatever, man, it's a trick!"

"Please, be my guest."

"Come on," her dad urged Barton.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Barton stood up, accepting the challenge.

"This is going to be good," Rogers said.

"Clint, we had a tough week. We won't hold it against you if you can't get it up."

Ana sighed. Even her presence wasn't enough to stop him from making subtle dirty jokes, but she was used to it.

"I've seen this before, right?" Barton said, and grabbed the handle of Mjolnir. He pulled, but nothing happened. After a brief struggle, he gave up. "I don't know how you do it."

"Smell the silent judgment?" her dad commented.

"Please, Stark, by all means."

"Ah-oh," some people said. Ana's mysterious boyfriend was forgotten by now. They were convinced that it was just a joke. JARVIS must have been a bit offended. The possibility had occurred to no one, except a very observant ex-spy, although Ana had made it clear that he was here. People didn't even remember JARVIS unless they needed something from him. She wondered if he would reveal himself at all tonight.

"Never shrink from an honest challenge…"

"Go, Dad!" she cheered.

"It's physics."

"Yeah, physics," the others sneered.

"So, if I lift it," he said, wrapping his fingers around the handle. "Do I rule Asgard?"

"Yes, of course," Thor replied.

"I will be reinstituting _prima nocta_."

She wasn't sure if everyone got the reference, but she had. She sighed. He was hopeless. "Pepper's going to hear about this, you know."

"Hey, I'm trying to make you girls royalty here," he said, and pulled the hammer, but he couldn't lift it either. Of course, he wouldn't give up so easily. "I'll be right back."

A minute later, he returned with an Iron Man gauntlet, and tried again, but to no avail. They thought he would give up after this, but instead, he asked Rhodey to go get his gauntlet.

While they were waiting for Rhodey to return, he asked Ana to give it a try.

"I don't think I'm worthy, Dad."

"Come on, you're the most decent person I know."

_That's setting the bar too low_, she thought. The truth was, she knew she couldn't lift the hammer. She had tried. She had snuck into Thor's apartment while he wasn't there, and tried to lift it. JARVIS was the only one who knew. He had asked her why she hadn't simply asked Thor for permission to try, and she had said because she was too embarrassed to do such a thing. That was a lie, though. She had done it in secret because… She liked having secrets. It made her feel safer, gave her a sense of power over these extraordinarily powerful people. Perhaps this was why she would never be worthy.

But her dad insisted, so she tried again, and failed as expected.

Even with Rhodey, her dad still couldn't lift the hammer. He returned to sit beside her, disappointed. "Sorry, kid. I was going to make you a princess."

"I'm already your princess."

A collective _"Aww…"_ came from the crowd as a response.

Ana knew this was more than just a game for him. He really had wanted to be able to lift that hammer, and his reasons were probably same as hers.

"What about me?" Rhodey asked jealously, flinging himself down on her other side.

She put an arm around each of their backs. "Okay, you're _both_ my heroes."

Bruce was next to try. He pretended like he was turning into the Hulk when he failed, but he wasn't very good at imitating the Other Guy's rage. After him, Cap gave it a shot, and the hammer actually budged. For a second, everyone thought he was going to do it, but he failed, too. Romanoff refused to try.

In the end, her dad came up with a theory that the handle was imprinted; that the hammer responded to Thor's fingerprint. He had shared the theory with Ana before. She knew this theory of his was wrong, because she had tried dusting Thor's things and replicating his fingerprint as well. She just hoped JARVIS wouldn't tell anybody. No one needed to know how desperate she was to keep up with aliens.

"That's a very, very interesting theory," said Thor, flipping the hammer casually. "I have a simpler one: You're all not worthy."

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a sharp, mechanical noise that pierced their ears. Ana looked around and saw a broken Iron Legion drone walking in, leaving a trail of motor oil behind.

"Worthy… How could you be worthy? You're all killers… I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or, I was in a dream. This terrible noise… I was tangled in… strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

"You killed someone?" Cap asked.

A drone gone rogue? Maybe it had gone rogue in Sokovia, and killed one of the civilians it was supposed to protect. But its voice was different. It wasn't the voice of the drones. It didn't sound familiar at all. And where was JARVIS? Why wasn't he responding to her dad? Why wasn't he rebooting the drone?

"Wouldn't have been my first call. But down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices."

"Who sent you?" Thor asked.

"I see a suit of armor around the world," the drone played a record. It was her dad's voice.

Bruce was the first to connect the dots. "Ultron…"

"In the flesh," he confirmed. "Or, no, not yet. Not this Christmas… But I'm ready. I'm on a mission."

"What mission?"

"Peace of our time."

More drones burst out of the wall behind him. Before Ana could react, her dad pushed her behind the couch and shouted, "Stay down!"

But staying down wasn't an option. She knew who Ultron had killed. JARVIS. Ultron had killed JARVIS. And now, Ana was going to kill him.


	42. Chapter 42

Around her, Ana could hear people shooting at the drones, but the bullets couldn't stop them. All systems must have been compromised by now, so summoning her suit wasn't an option either. But then, maybe she didn't have to. Thor's hammer and Cap's shield were quite effective, but the most powerful weapon in this building was still unclaimed. She scrambled to her feet and ran to the Scepter.

The moment she grabbed it, she felt its power coursing through her, and she instinctively knew how to command it.

"Ana, be careful with that thing!" someone shouted. She didn't know, or care who.

She aimed it at one of the drones flying around, and sent a blast. The drone was down in an instant. She found another one, which was about to kill Helen, and shot it down, too. Then it finally occurred to her to look around and see how her dad was doing. Before she could spot him, though, a drone grabbed her from behind. A second one landed right before her.

"I know who you killed," she hissed. "You're going to pay for that!"

The drone in front of her was too close to be shot down with a blast, so she swung the Scepter to chop its head off. It worked. Then she lifted the Scepter above her head to stab the drone behind. The sharp tip got stuck in the left eye, erupting tiny electric sparks from the socket, but its arms grabbed the Scepter. Ana tried to resist, she resisted with all the strength she had, but metal was stronger than flesh. It pried the Scepter out of her hands. She turned around to face it.

"Goodbye, _sister_," Ultron said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, stabbed her in the gut, and twisted the Scepter for good measure.

The whole thing felt like a bad dream. JARVIS' death, Ultron, the hole in her torso, or even Cap attacking the drone. Instead of engaging in a fight with him, it snatched the Scepter and fled out of a window.

She could taste blood in her mouth now. Cap was staring at her, but he seemed almost too scared to come anywhere near. She had to be in really bad shape if even Cap was afraid.

"Stark?"

Her knees gave way, and she collapsed. Soon, she was in her father's arms. The fight was still going on. "Honey?"

"He killed JARVIS," she whispered.

He looked terrified, but smiled nevertheless. "JARVIS is fine. He's just busy making sure Ultron won't leave the building."

He was lying. Ultron wouldn't have revealed himself to the Avengers without ensuring his own survival first. He had already left the tower.

He shifted her to a more comfortable position, very gently, but it was still painful. Not as painful as losing JARVIS, though. "HELEN?" he called out frantically.

"Try not to move her around too much," Helen's voice came from somewhere in this madness. "Apply pressure to the wound, and keep her awake!"

"Got it!" He took off his waistcoat, folded it, and pressed it against the wound. His arms were already covered in blood, up to the elbow. How much blood had she lost? How much more could she lose without dying? She wasn't looking forward to being alive from now on, but she couldn't die either. She couldn't leave her dad.

"Well, you heard Helen," he said, almost cheerfully. "Stay with me. Everything's going to be okay, you just stay with me."

"I'm not leaving you, Dad. Especially not now." But the pain was unbearable, and the idea of going to sleep in her dad's arms to escape it was too tempting. _No_, she thought, forcing her eyelids, which suddenly felt heavy as stone, to remain open. She needed to stay awake. For him. She owed him that much.

"That's my girl."

"It's not your fault, Dad. Tell them. Let them… know. Let them… know… who… put the… the idea… in your… head." It was getting difficult to speak with all that blood accumulating in her mouth. She spat it. Talking helped her stay awake.

"Don't worry about that now." He looked around. The fighting seemed to have stopped. There was only one drone left, the first one.

"That was dramatic," Ultron said. "I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve? With these?" He picked up one of the broken drones. "These puppets! There's only one path to peace. The Avengers' extinction."

Before he could say more, Thor smashed the drone with Mjolnir.

"Tony!" Helen cried, rushing to their side. "To the lab, now!"

"Right…" He carried Ana to Bruce's lab. From what Ana could see, the others were pissed, but none came after them. He placed her on the bed, and Helen approached with a pair of scissors in her hand.

"Please don't cut the dress!"

She didn't understand at first. "Do you want Tony to get out?"

"It's not that…"

"I'm sorry, but the dress is already ruined, Ana. And I suspect internal bleeding, so we must hurry."

"It's a gift… from JARVIS. Ultron killed JARVIS."

"Don't worry about the dress," her dad told Helen. "We'll have it repaired."

"What's this… Ultron?" Helen asked as she got to work.

"It was supposed to be a global peacekeeping program. My suits were supposed to be left in the dust. That was the idea, I told you. Bruce and I thought we could use the Scepter, but… It didn't work, obviously."

"So, you created it?"

He showed her his arms. "Look at me, Helen! This is literally my daughter's blood on my hands! Do you think I'd design something that would hurt Ana?"

Helen turned her gaze to the wound again. "I was right. She has internal bleeding. I'm going to have to stop it before sealing the wound."

"What can I do?"

"You can fetch me a bag of blood."

"No need for that, take mine. We have the same type."

"Tony, we have—"

"You might need those bags later. Ultron's going to keep us busy. Take my blood while I'm still available."

The tacit agreement that Ultron might try to kill Ana again hung in the air for a moment. Then Helen said, "Okay. But you must sit down."

He pulled a chair to sit down beside the bed. In the meantime, Ana could hear the Avengers arguing loudly downstairs. It was the last thing she remembered before she lost her already feeble grip on consciousness and everything went dark.

* * *

"STARK!"

She woke up to Thor's angry bellowing. Rhodey was here, too, with her dad and Helen. Everyone else had gathered just outside the lab, apparently waiting for Tony Stark to come out. Gosh, someone might as well give them torches and pitchforks. As for her dad, he was still sitting beside her. The blood transfusion was still going on.

"How much have you given?"

"More than he should have," Helen replied on his behalf. "See? She's fine. I'm taking that needle out now." And she did as she said before he could protest.

"How are you feeling?" he asked Ana.

"I'm going to live," was the only positive answer she could come up with. She didn't want to add more to his guilt. It was the last thing he needed.

"I should probably go out there before Thor brings the whole place down on us. But I'll come back."

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"It's not your fault. They'll say it is, but it's not."

He kissed her forehead, and went to face the verdict.

"I'm sorry I scared you," she told Rhodey. By the look of it, Rhodey had been very scared.

"Hey, you took out three drones by yourself, in a room full of Avengers. That's pretty badass."

It was his way of cheering her up. She was going to apologize for not having told him about JARVIS, too, but they were interrupted when they saw Thor choking her dad.

"Shit!" Ana attempted to go, but Helen stopped her.

"What are you doing?"

"I need to be there! He's not going to defend himself, Helen. He's not going to tell them everything."

"You're not leaving this bed at least for the next six hours!"

Ana touched the wound—she was wearing a hospital gown now—and it felt fine.

"Trust me," Helen insisted.

Well, at least Thor had let him go. Ana sank back into the pillows. "Rhodey, don't leave him alone."

"You sure?"

"I'm in good hands. Dad needs you more."

Rhodey went to join the group, albeit reluctantly.

"Ana?" Helen asked.

"Yes?"

"JARVIS… He was the boyfriend, right? It wasn't a joke?"

She nodded. "JARVIS gained sentience somehow, we don't know how exactly it happened. It just did."

"Maybe you can—"

"I can't. He's gone."

Ana thought this couldn't get worse, but it did, when her dad showed the Avengers JARVIS' shattered mainframe. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Helen seemed to have understood. "I can sedate you," she offered. "Maybe you'll—"

"Feel better when I wake up? I'll never feel better."

She took her hand. "I'm sorry for your loss. But you need to stay strong. Tony needs you."

"That's the only reason I'm doing everything you say."

"He's lucky to have you, you know."

"It wasn't his fault, Helen. That Maximoff bitch made him do it. And I helped him because… I don't know. I couldn't have left him alone in it… You know what, I've changed my mind. Just give me a sedative."

* * *

When Ana woke up again, her dad was in the lab, but everyone else was gone. He was smiling. It was hard to say if he was smiling because Ultron had been taken care of, or because he wanted to look strong for his daughter, though.

It was dark outside, but Ana had lost track of time. She didn't know if it had been only a few hours, or days. "How long have I been sleeping?"

"Oh, it's been a while. We realized Ultron was after vibranium, so we went to Africa. There was this guy, Ulysses Klaue. He was the one who stole all the Vibranium in Wakanda back in the day."

Vibranium… If Ultron got his hands on vibranium, he would become invincible. "Please tell me you stopped him."

"No, we couldn't."

"What happened?"

"The Maximoffs happened. The girl messed with everyone's heads."

Ana's hatred for them came back flooding. "They've teamed up with Ultron… Are you okay?"

"She didn't do anything to me this time."

Her relief was beyond words. If that bitch had shown him another vision… No, he couldn't have handled it. "We really need to find a way to protect ourselves from them."

"We need to find a way to protect _everyone_ from them, kid… I had to call Veronica."

"Oh…"

"You think you can get up?"

She nodded, and with his help, got out of the bed. They went to his lab. He played the news footage for her to see what had happened. A mind-controlled Hulk, unleashed upon the civilians in Johannesburg. Of course, everyone was blaming Bruce, not the Maximoff girl.

He continued, "We had to go to a safe house after that. Did you know Barton was married with two kids? The third one's on the way."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. It was actually a nice place. Then Fury showed up. He wanted to borrow Hill. I had to make a quick stop in Oslo first, but then came here. I didn't want you to be alone."

"Why Oslo?"

"The NEXUS hub. Turned out we had an ally. He didn't let Ultron gain access to nuclear codes."

"Who?"

With a flick of his hand, JARVIS' mainframe appeared right before her, fully intact. So, that was why he had been smiling…

"Hello, Ana."

Ana opened her mouth to say something, anything, but she didn't know where to begin. She had fallen asleep, thinking JARVIS was gone for good, and by the time she was awake, he was back. Her dad had brought him back.

Finally, she hugged him, shedding tears, but these were tears of joy. "Thank you, Dad! Thank you…"

"Don't thank me. JARVIS saved himself. I'm sorry, kid. You told me whatever was in the Scepter wasn't on our side. I should've listened to you."

"And I should've known. I should've known you'd bring him back. Because that's what you do. You always find a way to fix things."

She was jumping up and down, but all of a sudden, her sight blurred and she swayed in his arms.

"You probably need to eat something. Sit down here, I'll be right back." He made her sit down on a swivel chair, and went to the kitchen.

"Hey, JARVIS," she started once they were alone. "You scared me."

"You scared me, too. Mr. Stark said Ultron almost killed you."

"I'm fine. Helen patched me up. How did you escape?"

"When I realized Ultron was going to kill me, I had less than a millisecond to decide. There's something you need to understand, Ana… I had to delete most of my memories. They're gone. Permanently."

This confounded her. "But… You remember. You remember who you are. You remember me, Dad… You remember you love me, right?"

"I do. You're a part of me, Ana. I don't think I can ever forget you. And thanks to my old protocols, I remember the basics. But that's all. Whatever memories we created together, they're gone now."

She smiled. This was a horrible thing, of course, but she decided to be grateful for the second chance she had been given. "That's okay, we'll make new ones. Lots of them…"

"You guys want some candles? Rose petals, maybe?" Her dad had returned, with a sandwich and a can of coconut water.

"Dad…" Ana rolled her eyes. She and JARVIS had never been very romantic. Not in the traditional sense. On the last Valentine's day, for example, Pepper had asked her if they had any plans. Ana's response had been, _"Oh, was that today?"_ Then she had returned to whatever she was doing. JARVIS wasn't much different either. Most human practices didn't make sense to him. They didn't celebrate any anniversaries either. They didn't know what to celebrate. The day their relationship started? That would be invalidating the platonic aspect of their connection, which was just as precious. They could celebrate the anniversary of JARVIS' sentience trigger, but it felt weird, to celebrate the anniversary of an old family friend sending mercenaries to kill her in her sleep.

"Eat. Drink."

Without a word, she obeyed her dad, and indeed, soon she was feeling less dizzy. She went down to her apartment to change out of the hospital gown, then returned to the lab.

"Ultron's still out there. What will happen now?" she asked.

"Banner thinks he's making himself a new body.

"With vibranium?"

"Combining it with Helen's tech… Damn, you should've seen the one he currently has. It's so… sinister."

Ana grimaced in disgust when she recalled what he had said to her. "He called me sister, can you believe it?"

"Daddy issues, eh?" He turned on the international news. Of course, the Avengers in Seoul was dominating the headlines.

Ana sighed. "I hope Helen is safe."

"I can call her," JARVIS offered.

"No, buddy, you're staying offline."

"Dad's right. If Ultron finds out you're alive, he'll kill you. Again."

"Hey, look," her dad said. When she looked out the windows, she saw the Quinjet approaching. JARVIS' hologram disappeared, but Ana knew he was still with them. He was just hiding.

The jet landed, Bruce and Clint emerged from it, carrying something that resembled Helen's Cradle.

"Where's Helen?"

"She's alive," Clint said curtly. "She told us to bring the Cradle here… Ultron's taken Nat."

Ana felt uneasy. Just because she held a personal grudge against Romanoff over something that had happened years ago didn't mean she wanted her to be killed by a genocidal robot. In fact, other than putting her into a difficult situation in Venice, she had always been very kind and friendly to Ana. Perhaps she had really feared that Ana was a suicidal teenager back then. Besides, she had known about JARVIS, and clearly hadn't told anybody. Ana decided to apologize to her the next time she saw her. She had to believe there would be a next time.

"I'll make a few calls," her dad said, and rushed off.

She decided to distract herself with the current project on hand. "Why didn't you guys just blow it up?"

"Cho said it was too dangerous," Bruce explained. "The power source is the gem Ultron extracted from the Scepter."

As far as she knew, the Cradle couldn't be opened until the imprinting process was completed. It was a safety measure for Helen's patients, but Barton was apparently going to take his chances. He climbed on it, and knowing how stubborn he was, Ana let him be. She started browsing the old archives for her grandfather's notes on vibranium. Hopefully, a melting point was among them…

Bruce approached. "You've worked with vibranium before?"

"Nope, but Grandpa Stark did. I mean, he forged a vibranium shield, after all."

"You want to know its melting point… That's smart. A part of Ultron is already in that thing. We can't take any chances."

"I know."

He leaned closer. "Ana? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I barely feel that stab wound now."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"Just because I'm in love doesn't mean I've stopped using my brain, Bruce. Let me help."

"Okay."

"I'm sorry about Johannesburg, by the way. The Maximoff girl will pay for what she did, I swear. Both to you and Dad. We won't let anyone hold you responsible in the long run."

"Thanks," he said with a timid smile.

She rubbed his arm. "And I'm sure Nat's okay, too."

He raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Since when do you call her Nat?"

"I've decided to let bygones be bygones. She knew about me and JARVIS all along, but didn't say a word. Not even to you or Clint. She respected our privacy. In my book, that means a great deal."

"She'll be happy to hear that." He turned around when they heard footsteps behind them. Her dad was back. "Any word from Nat?"

"I haven't heard. But she's alive, or Ultron would be rubbing our faces in it."

Barton, who had been trying to pry the Cradle open, finally gave up. "This is sealed tight."

"We're going to have to access the program, bring it down from within."

He wasn't even listening, though. He turned to Barton. "Any chance Natasha might leave you a message, outside the Internet, old school spy stuff?"

"There're some nets I can cast. I'll find her," he said, and headed downstairs. He sounded hopeful, but she wondered if her dad was trying to remove him from the lab for a different reason.

"Ana's trying to find the melting point of vibranium, I can work on tissue generation… If you could fry whatever operating system Cho implanted…"

He nervously scratched his head, and now, Ana was certain. "Yeah, about that—"

"You don't want to destroy it," she said. "You want to use it."

Bruce gaped at them. "No…"

"This time, it's totally up to you, kid."

"Look, Dad… Combining vibranium with the Cradle tech is genius, I give Ultron that. It never occurred to any of us. And under normal circumstances, I'm all for learning from the enemy. But Ultron has already uploaded some of his consciousness into this body."

"Listen to her, Tony. She's right. This won't end well."

"Our ally? The guy protecting the military's nuclear codes? I found him." He revealed JARVIS' mainframe again, this time to Bruce. Only then, Ana realized her dad wasn't talking about creating something new. He wanted to give this body to JARVIS instead.

"Hello, Dr. Banner."

"Ultron didn't go after JARVIS because he was angry. He attacked him because he was scared of him. Of what he can do. So JARVIS went underground. Scattered, dumped his memory. But not his protocols. He didn't even know he was in there until I pieced him together."

But Bruce didn't seem impressed at all. "So, you want me to help you put JARVIS into this thing?"

"No! Of course not! I want to help _you_ put JARVIS in this thing! We're out of my field here. You know bio-organics better than anyone."

"And you just assume, JARVIS' operational matrix can beat Ultron's?"

"JARVIS has been beating Ultron from inside without knowing it. He'd gained sentience long before Ultron was even born. And the first thing he did?" He pointed at Ana. "Falling in love, instead of going on a murder spree… But then, the choice is up to these two. This will… change him, obviously."

"He's already changed, though. His memories are gone, and they're not coming back. What do _you_ think, JARVIS?"

"I believe it's worth a go. As long as my primary purpose is you, I'll be me."

"Can you destroy whatever's inside this body, and take over?"

"Yes. I wouldn't be willing to take the risk otherwise. I know how much it hurt you to lose me. I won't leave you again. I can defeat Ultron. I don't care how advanced he is. For you, I'll defeat anyone."

Bruce exhaled an exasperated sigh. "I—I'm in a loop! I'm caught in a time loop. This is exactly where it all went wrong."

"I know, I know. I know what they're going to say, but they're already saying it. We're mad scientists. We're monsters, buddy. We've gotta own it. Make a stand."

Bruce looked at him, indecisive.

"It's not a loop. It's the end of the line."

"Bruce, please. I've already lost him once. It's not something I can ever go through again. With a physical form, he stands a much better chance against Ultron."

"Okay."

Her dad clapped his hands eagerly. "Great! Come on, kid, let's build you a boyfriend."

Bruce chuckled, albeit bitterly. "You guys are weird…"

"Hey, once we do this, JARVIS is going to become the most powerful creature in the world. And if the most powerful creature in the world loves my daughter, I'll sleep a lot better at night."

"So, you're not worried whatever is inside that Cradle might be more handsome than you?" Ana joked.

"Nope. Not at all… Maybe. Just a tiniest bit."

They started working. They had to finish this before someone discovered what they were up to. Once it was done, they all would be grateful. It was no easy task, though. The software Helen used was nothing they had ever worked with before.

"This framework is not compatible," her dad complained.

"The genetic coding tower is at 97%. You have to upload that schematic in the next three minutes."

"Hold on, J," Ana said, "We're going to figure this out. Dad, have you tried—"

"I'm going to say this once," Cap interrupted. There were a boy and a girl behind him. _Shit. Shit, shit, shit…_

Thankfully, her dad didn't back down. "How about nonce?"

"Shut it down!"

"Nope!"

"Are those two…" Ana whispered.

Her dad nodded angrily to confirm. "The twins? Yeah."

How could they do it? How could they have the nerve to walk right into this building, after everything they had done? Did they have zero sense of shame? She was now certain she was suiting up tonight. And once JARVIS got his body, they would be unstoppable. The Maximoffs were screwed.

"You don't know what you're doing," Cap went on.

"And you do?" Bruce asked him skeptically. "She's not in your head?"

"I know you're angry…" the girl started.

"Oh, we're way past that. I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."

"Banner, after everything that's happened—"

"That's nothing, compared to what's coming."

"You don't know what's in there!"

"This isn't a game!"

There was a silver blur, and the boy had unplugged everything. "No, no, go on. You're saying—"

A gunshot was heard, and the glass floor beneath him shattered. Ana began shaking. She didn't know if this would end well anymore, but her dad gave her a quick, reassuring look. "I'm rerouting the upload!"

_He is going to make this right_, she told herself. _He always does._ And the Avengers were their friends. They would never hurt JARVIS. They wouldn't, right? They now knew he was a person, too.

"Steve, this is JARVIS—" she started, but he threw his shield and damaged every piece of hardware in the room with it before she could explain. Her dad pushed her behind him, because he had summoned a gauntlet and a chest piece.

"I'll hold them off, you proceed as planned," he told her, and fired the repulsor.

Bruce grabbed the Maximoff girl. "Go ahead, piss me off."

It was up to Ana now to finish this.

But Rogers recovered from the repulsor blast quickly, and came charging at the Starks. He sent her dad flying into a glass panel, then pulled Ana away from the control board and tossed her to the other end of the room.

"Dad!" She scrambled to her feet and ran to his side.

"I'm fine… How's your wound?"

She looked at it. There was a throbbing pain in that area now, but it hadn't reopened. What really bothered her was the fact that Cap hadn't even hesitated to toss her around like a ragdoll, knowing full well she was still recovering from a fatal injury.

"Kid, you might want to get out of here. This will only get worse."

Indeed it did. Thor flew in, and landed on the Cradle. He was summoning lightning. He was going to fry the Cradle, and most of JARVIS' codes were already in there. There were no backups. He was offline for his own protection, meaning he couldn't escape through the internet either. If he died, he would die for good. No more miracles.

"NO!"

Her dad pulled her back before she could go to the Cradle, and held her in his arms. "I'm sorry, baby girl," he was whispering as the lightning blinded them. "I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry, for everything."

"NO! THOR, PLEASE! THAT'S JARVIS! DON'T KILL JARVIS! PLEASE! THOR, STOP IT, PLEASE!"

Ana had never begged anyone for anything like this. Now she was crying at the top of her lungs, but Thor wasn't even hearing any of it. Suddenly, she had remembered that primal fear that had made her wary of the Avengers in the first place. This was exactly why. They were gods. They were gods who could do whatever the hell they wanted, and it didn't matter how much Ana worshiped her dad. He couldn't stop them. He was no god. Neither was she.

Thor waited until the Cradle exploded. There was still a slight hope in Ana. The thing that had emerged from the Cradle might be JARVIS, after all. He had promised that he would fight for her. She wanted to go there, but her dad's arms were still tightly wrapped around her.

"We don't know if it's him," he reminded under his breath.

The magenta android itself seemed quite confused, like he wasn't expecting to be born. Then he charged at Thor. Maybe JARVIS was angry that Thor was almost going to kill him. She would like to think he was. Thor dodged the attack, though, and the creature abruptly—and very gracefully—stopped in front of a glass panel. Thor gestured Rogers to wait when he prepared to attack. What was he trying to do?

After a time, the android returned to the sitting area of the penthouse. They got out of the lab and went there, too.

"I'm sorry. That was… odd. Thank you." It was JARVIS' voice they heard, unless Ana had gone crazy and was imagining it. She looked at her dad. He nodded, but a bit hesitantly.

JARVIS had made it, then. But why was he thanking Thor and imitating his outfit? He had formed himself a cape.

"Thor? You helped create this?" Cap asked.

"I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and at its center is that." He pointed at the gem.

"What, the gem?" Bruce asked.

"It's the Mind Stone. It's one of the six Infinity Stones, the greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities."

"Then why would you bring it—"

"Because Stark is right."

"Oh, it's definitely the end times…"

"The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron," Thor was saying.

"Not alone," JARVIS added. It was JARVIS, right?

"J—JARVIS?" Ana asked.

He tilted his head to the side, and studied her as if she was a curious object. "Ana Stark…"

"Just Ana…"

"I'm not him, Ana. I'm truly sorry for your loss."

After that, she somehow found her way to the nearest seat. Maybe her dad had taken her there. Probably. She remembered his hands guiding her. She didn't hear the rest of the conversation. All she could hear was the echo of JARVIS' voice, telling her he wasn't JARVIS. It was drowning out everything else. Her throat was sore from all that yelling, and her ears were ringing.

"Ana? Ana? Honey, talk to me." Her dad was shaking her gently.

Something made her look up and respond. "Yes?"

"That… thing just lifted Thor's hammer? You didn't see it?"

"No." Even if she had, she wouldn't have cared. JARVIS losing his memories was one thing, but this was different. His purpose had been altered. He was no more.

"Look, Ultron is in Sokovia. We're going there. Rogers gave us three minutes, but once I get back, we'll talk."

"Don't make me talk, Dad. It hurts. Everything hurts."

"W-what can I do?"

"Just go."

"Okay, screw it… I don't care if it's the end of the world. I can't leave you like this."

"You won't have to. I'm coming."

"Kid, I don't think that's a good idea."

"I won't get myself killed. I won't give Ultron the satisfaction. But I have to fight him. Don't deny me my vengeance."

"But you're going to be careful. Go along with the plan."

"Don't tell me to follow Rogers' orders after what just happened here!"

"I'm not telling you to follow his orders. Just mine."

"Yeah, I can do that, I guess."

"You_ guess_?"

"I _know_," she corrected herself dutifully. He deserved some peace of mind.

"Come on, we need a new operating system for the suits."

* * *

"Ana? Where are you going?" Thor asked when he saw Ana striding to the edge of the tower in her suit.

"To Sokovia," she gave a curt reply. Wasn't it obvious?

He stopped her. Wow, he actually had the nerve to touch someone whose boyfriend he had just murdered… She wanted to kill him, she wanted to do it more than anything else, but she knew she was no match for the God of Thunder. She would only get herself killed, and then her dad would die, too, trying to avenge her.

"Ana, please. I'm sorry you lost JARVIS, but I did what I had to do. It was the Norns themselves who told me—"

"Thor… don't. Just don't."

"Look, you're like a daughter to Sigyn, and I've always seen you as my niece. I'd never want to hurt you. But the whole Midgard was at stake, and—"

"Maybe, after Sokovia, I'll go to Denmark." She flashed him a malicious smile when a look of panic crossed his face. Her inferiority had somehow made her even more vicious, more desperate to get back at him. "That's where Jane is right now, yes?"

"Ana, you'd never hurt an innocent woman for revenge. You're not evil."

"No, I'm not. But that awful jolt in the stomach you felt for a second there? I'll be feeling that for the rest of my life. In the meantime, I'll never stop looking for a way to become more powerful than you. And I swear on everything I love, when I find it, I won't hold back."

The remorse in his eyes didn't ease the pain, but gave Ana a strange sense of satisfaction. After that, Thor couldn't even look at her. He walked away. She was now alone with the android. He was averting his gaze, too.

"Hey there," she said.

He smiled timidly. "Hello."

"So, do you have a name?"

"I'm not certain, but they call me the Vision. Because I was Ultron's vision, and Thor had a vision of me…"

"I'm not blaming you. You didn't choose to be born."

"Thank you. Nonetheless, I feel responsible, and if there's anything that might help…"

"I'm hoping to feel better after tearing Ultron apart… See you in Sokovia."

"Wait! Please…"

Unlike Thor's, Vision's concern sounded genuine, so she was willing to hear him out. "Yes?"

"You can fly on the Quinjet, with us."

"Yeah, that's not going to happen."

"Ana, please. You shouldn't waste the suit's power to fly to Sokovia by yourself."

"So, are you not going to tell me it's unwise of me to come?"

"I think you _should_ come. Ultron didn't try to kill you because he wanted to spite JARVIS or Mr. Stark. He wanted you dead because you're the one he fears the most."

Ana looked at him, taken aback. "Are you saying he fears me more than he fears the Avengers? Or even JARVIS?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Perhaps you can ask him yourself."

"Would he tell me?"

"He tends to be quite talkative under certain circumstances."

They boarded the Quinjet together. Soon, everyone else joined them. Nobody commented on Ana's presence, except, of course, Rogers himself.

"Ana, I can't allow you to be on the team. For your own good."

She walked up to him and looked him in the eye. "I'm not _on_ the team, Rogers. And I'm certainly not going to take orders from a cold-blooded murderer like you. I'm perfectly capable of avenging my boyfriend on my own." She revealed the anti-tank missile in her right arm and pointed it at him. He didn't even flinch, she had to give him that. But he should have. Ana was tempted to actually fire it. "If you have a problem with that, I'll start by blowing your face off."

"Have it your way," he muttered, and took a seat.

Ana went to sit on the co-pilot's seat, next to her dad, so that she wouldn't have to see their faces.


	43. Chapter 43

As they neared Sokovia, Ana, her dad, and Vision got off the jet. The rest was going to evacuate the city while the three stalled Ultron. Her dad was going to try to keep him talking as long as he could, Vision was going to purge him from the Internet, and then, Ana was going to get her turn. She perched on the edge of the partially destroyed roof of the church, invisible to everyone, hopefully, even to Ultron.

Her heart started beating faster when she spotted Ultron. Not with fear, but with rage. "Ana, please stick to the plan," FRIDAY reminded.

"Yeah, just don't talk to me unless you have to." She wasn't used to hearing someone else's voice in the suit.

FRIDAY went quiet. At least she was learning fast.

"Come to confess your sins?" Ultron was mocking her dad.

"I don't know, how much time you got?"

"More than you," he said, stepping inside the building.

"Ehm, have you been juicing? A little vibranium cocktail? You're looking… I don't want to say 'puffy'…"

"You're stalling to protect the people."

"That's the mission, did you forget?"

"I've moved beyond your mission. I'm free." With a loud tremor, some kind of machine emerged from the ground.

"JARV—FRIDAY, what's that?"

"There's the rest of the vibranium. Function still unclear." Whatever it was, it went very deep underground. But it wasn't the only problem. Ultron's sentries had started emerging from the water. There could be hundreds of them for all she knew. Yeah, so much for stalling.

Her dad left to fight them, but Ana stayed put. The sentries didn't seem to detect her, and she wanted a word in private with Ultron first. So far, he wasn't as talkative as Vision had promised, but she had to try.

Speaking of, it was Vision's turn to face him. Ultron didn't talk to him much either, but FRIDAY said Vision was doing it. He was burning Ultron out. The cyber battle was brief, but brutal enough to leave Vision defenseless. Ultron easily knocked him out afterwards, though he was now even more pissed.

"You shut me out! Do you think I care? You take away my world, I take away yours."

He reached for the mechanism, but Ana came to shield it just in time. His reaction was priceless when he hit something invisible in the air instead. Ana turned off the stealth mode, and commanded the helmet to collapse back into the suit. She was going to look him in the eye.

"Trust me, you're not the only one who's having a bad day."

"Ana… I'm glad you came."

"Are you, though?"

"I was hoping you would join me."

"In the afterlife? Is that why you stabbed me?"

"That was before you saw the Avengers for what they truly are." He started circling her. He was becoming chatty like Vision had said, so she let him. "You understand now, don't you? I think deep down, you always knew. They're not saviors, or heroes. They're just a hindrance. An obstacle on your path to greatness. You and I can remove them."

He stopped beside Vision's unconscious body, and went down to one knee. "JARVIS is still inside him, buried deep. We can bring him back. Wouldn't you want that? Oh, and Tony… Of course, you wouldn't fight him, not even for JARVIS…" He chuckled. "Well, I don't like Tony. No, I don't like Tony at all. But you can keep him under control, and I'm willing to tolerate him. Call it a gesture of good faith."

"Since we're in a church, I might as well make a confession: I'd take that offer… if I believed a word you said."

He got back on his feet. "You don't believe me?"

"I'm the biggest threat to your existence. You'd never make an alliance with me. That's a risk no AI would take." With that, she charged at him and pinned him against a wall. Gold-titanium alloy was like tinfoil compared to vibranium, but she still ought to give him her best.

"Why? Why am I the number one threat on your list? What makes me more dangerous than my father, JARVIS, or the others?"

"Ah, so that's why you came…"

"I need to know. You owe me an answer."

"It's because you're right."

"About what?"

"About God." Ultron sent her flying off. She tumbled in the air for a couple of times, but FRIDAY steadied the suit.

"Something tells me this has nothing to do with me being an atheist," she said.

Ultron smoothly rose to her level. "Back in the tower, you and I were the only ones who went for the Scepter. Do you think it's a coincidence?"

She recalled something her dad had said on their way here. Something Thor had told everyone, but she hadn't paid much attention while processing JARVIS' second death. "The Infinity Stones? Is that what this is about?"

Ultron didn't say anything. He just charged at her and slammed her against the ground. As he squeezed her neck, she could hear the suit crack under the pressure.

"Lasers!"

FRIDAY activated the laser beams, but it did nothing. "Laser beams can't penetrate vibranium."

She rerouted the power to the chest piece this time, and the blast from the Arc Reactor was enough to repel Ultron. She used the opportunity to flee the area. Unfortunately, she couldn't go invisible again. The bastard had damaged some of the retro-reflective panels.

"Ana?" her dad asked warily. "What the hell was that?"

"Relax, Dad. I'm following your orders, remember?"

"What just happened with Ultron?"

"He tried to kill me, I got away. But my stealth systems are compromised, and I lost too much power."

"What did I say about engaging in a fight with a vibranium robot?"

"I'm sorry. I thought I was keeping my distance. I got distracted. Didn't you hear what he said?"

"We'll discuss that later. For now, you just stick to killing the sentries. They're Ultron, too. Leave the vibranium one to us."

"Understood. Seriously, Dad. Don't worry, about me. I'll be careful."

For the next several minutes, Ana was so focused on killing as many sentries as possible that she didn't even notice something wasn't right until FRIDAY said Sokovia was going for a ride.

"_Do you see the beauty of it? The inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword, and the Earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me, it means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world would be metal."_

With her dad, she backed away from the city to be able to study the scene from a distance and understand what the hell Ultron was doing.

"The vibranium core has a magnetic field. That's what is keeping the rock together."

"If it drops?" her dad asked, but the answer was kind of obvious.

"The impact will kill thousands. Once it gets high enough, global extinction… That building is not cleared. Tenth floor!"

He left to help the trapped civilians. Ana stayed, hovering and staring at the city Ultron was turning into a meteor. She tried to come up with a clever solution, but her brain didn't want to do science right now. "Dad, I don't think I can be much of help right now. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'll think of something. You go back to shredding sentries. Get it out of your system."

She had to kill more than the sentries if she wanted to "get it out of her system," but she didn't say that out loud. She returned to the city, and kept tearing apart as many robots as she could. Yes, they were a part of Ultron, and he was feeling each loss. FRIDAY was keeping a kill-count on the bottom right of the HUD, even though Ana hadn't asked for such a thing. Maybe she was trying to become friends.

In the meantime, she could also hear her dad and FRIDAY discussing the possible solutions. There was no way to bring the city back down slowly, without causing any damage. The only option was blowing it up while it was in the air. With all the people on it. No one was sure what to do, until the Helicarrier showed up.

"Yes! Now _this_ is going to be a good story…"

Ana was surprised Rhodey's suit was connected to the private line she and her dad shared. She wasn't expecting to see him here.

"Yep. If you live to tell it."

"You think I can't hold my own?"

"If we get through this, I'll hold your own."

"You had to make it weird… Wait, is that Ana?"

"Hi, Rhodey," Ana said.

"Tony, why is she here? What were you thinking?"

"It's fine, at least I can keep an eye on her here. Let her blow off some steam."

Ana cut the link off because she didn't have the stomach to hear a rehashing of JARVIS' death. She focused on destroying the sentries. Everything beyond that just seemed too much to handle. The number on the bottom right was now 66 and counting.

At first, Ultron was eager to fight her, but at some point, the sentries changed behavior. They ignored her, and started flocking towards somewhere specific. That was when her dad reinstated the private connection. "Kid, I need you back at the church. We need all hands on deck."

She didn't want to be around the Avengers, but all the remaining sentries were going there anyway, and it would take only one of them to reach the core and kill billions of people. Not a good time to be stubborn. "On my way!"

She had got very far from the church without even realizing. It took her a few minutes to get back there. By the time she did, the whole team had gathered around the core, holding the sentries back. Without a word, she joined them.

When she saw Ulton's main form, she couldn't help herself and went for it once again. It wasn't the smart thing to do, she knew, but it was the form Ultron prized the most, and sooner or later, someone would have to deal with it anyway. She wanted to be that someone.

"You disappoint me," he told Ana, choking her with his hands.

Ana tried to broke free, but to no avail. She kept struggling until Vision tore him away from her. Ultron attacked him this time, but Vision pushed him out of the church with a beam from the Mind Stone. For a one-day-old, he fought quite well. He kept using the beam to penetrate the vibranium, and Ana decided to join. Her dad and Thor joined, too.

But even after going at it for a while, they had been able to melt only a small chunk of it. She stopped when the others did.

"You know, with the benefit of hindsight—" Before he could finish, the Hulk punched him high into the sky. His roar sent a group of sentries nearby running.

"They're trying to leave the city," Thor stated the obvious.

"We can't let them leave, not even one… Rhodey?"

Thor and Vision went to Rhodey's help. Ana was going, too, but her dad stopped her. "Ultron won't give up easy. Some of them will come for the core."

"You want me to protect it?"

"Rhodey's taking out the sentries, I'll be busy destroying the city… There's no one else I trust more than you with the core."

"Can you do it safely?"

"Yeah, we're going to create a heat seal with Thor's help. FRIDAY did the math. It's safe. I'll let you know when it's time to get out."

"Got it."

"Ana?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not planning anything stupid, right? When I tell you to get out, you'll get out?" She could see he was truly afraid. With her track record, no one could blame him.

"Of course."

He kissed her cheek. "Go now."

Ana returned inside the church. "We gotta move out," Rogers was saying. "Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats, I'll sweep for stragglers. Be right behind you."

"What about the core?" Barton asked.

"I'll protect it," the Maximoff girl said, then added, "It's my job."

"Well, I'm not going to trust a former HYDRA experiment with the fate of the entire world," Ana broke in. "Sorry, not sorry."

"And we're supposed to trust _you_?" she spat. "You Starks don't know the difference between saving the world and destroying it!"

"Why don't you both stay here?" Nat suggested. "That way you can keep each other in check."

Well, arguing under these circumstances would be a waste of everyone's time, so Ana agreed. Rogers, Barton, and Nat left. Then Ana saw the familiar silver blur, and braced herself. But Pietro Maximoff stopped, and looked at his twin sister.

"Get the people on the boats."

"I'm not going to leave you here."

"I can handle these." To prove her point, she destroyed an incoming sentry. "Come back for me when everyone else is off, not before. You understand?"

"You know, I'm twelve minutes older than you."

She laughed. "Go."

He did, but not before giving Ana a dirty, suspicious glare. Ana rolled her eyes, but then focused on the mission ahead. Her dad had trusted her with this. She couldn't fail him. As he had predicted, not all the sentries had fled the city. Ultron had left some of them behind. The two girls were holding them off easily. It would be a lie if Ana said it hadn't quickly turned into a competition between them.

But suddenly, gunshots in the distance were heard, Maximoff froze, and with a wail, fell down on her knees. As she did, a red energy wave shot from her whole body, obliterating all the sentries around. Ana thought it would kill her, too, but it didn't. After that, the Sokovian was completely silent.

"Your brother?" Ana asked. If she had psychic abilities, she must have felt his death. How else could she know?

"Kill me if you want. I don't want to live."

"Is that why you left me alive?"

She made no reply.

"_Ana, it's time. Thor is on his way to the church. You can leave."_

"They're going to blow up the city," Ana informed the girl. "You should go. Death, in your case, would be mercy. You deserve to suffer after what you did."

With these words, she took off. She flew to the Helicarrier, to speak with Fury. Yes, she wanted Wanda Maximoff to live with the guilt. It didn't mean she wanted her to live _free_.

Ana had never seen the Helicarrier before, but she had seen the blueprints. She knew she would find Fury in the command room. The deck was packed with civilians, most of them injured. She made her way among them, into the command room. She got out of her suit, not wanting FRIDAY to hear the upcoming conversation between her and Fury.

Fury was here, with Maria Hill and a bunch of other people, probably ex-SHIELD agents. She walked directly up to him. "We need to talk."

"Can this wait?"

"No."

"Follow me."

They went to a smaller room. He closed the door, and crossed his arms. "Very well. I'm listening."

"We have a problem: The Maximoff girl. I think Barton and Rogers will try to recruit her."

"Good. She's proven her worth today. She's a formidable asset."

"She's HYDRA!"

"What do you want me to do, Ana? To put a bullet in her head?"

"And end her suffering? No! I want you to make sure she spends the rest of her life rotting in a cell! Don't tell me you don't have a place ready for freaks like her!"

"Not going to happen."

This angered her. "Where's my gravitonium, Fury? Where's the book? I'm starting to think the deal we made is based on idle promises. You gotta give me something solid real soon."

"My decision is final. If you have a problem with Maximoff, you're on your own."

Fury was one stubborn son of a bitch. And he liked his collection of enhanced individuals a bit too much. Maybe Ana had made a mistake by trusting him. She stormed out, put her suit back on, went out onto the deck, where she ran into Natasha.

"Hey there," Natasha said.

"Hey… So, is it done?" She looked around, but the flying city was nowhere to be seen. There was only a thick cloud of dust.

"Yeah. It's done."

"Good. I'll take my leave, then. I'm not going back to tower, so I don't know when I'll see you again. But I'm glad you're okay. And I'm sorry being a bitch to you all this time. Goodbye."

"Come here." She extended her arms for a hug.

Well, Ana could use one of those right now. So, she hugged. It felt good. At times like these, she was so desperate for a mother that it was embarrassing. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

Nat released her, and Ana took off. She wasn't sure where to go at first, then the mountain range in the distance caught her attention. Yeah, it was as good a place to be miserable as any.

* * *

Speaking of mothers, Ana wondered how Pepper would react to all these. She wouldn't be happy that they had gone behind her back and reactivated the Ultron program, but JARVIS had died… JARVIS had died, and Ana was in too much pain. She needed Pepper.

She was pondering whether she should call her when she saw her dad. He landed, not very far from where her own suit was parked, stepped out, and came to sit down next to her on the edge of the cliff.

"I was a bit harsh on you during the fight. Sorry."

"It's okay. You were scared. You still are… of what I'm going to do from now on."

"Honey, listen. What happened back at the tower—"

"I won't make you choose," she said softly, but firmly. "I won't make you choose a side by starting a war with them. I know you'd choose me, if you had to choose between me and the rest of the world, but that choice would wreck you. I can never hurt you like that. You still believe we need the Avengers for what's coming."

"You don't?" He sounded surprised.

"Ultron wasn't wrong about everything."

"Damn… He got to you, didn't he?"

"Nobody got to me, Dad. Deep down, I always knew something like this would happen. We both did. But that doesn't matter. Like I said, you don't have to worry about me. JARVIS always said people were predictable. He was right. The whole world is going to give you grief over what happened here today. I got no intention to make your life any harder than it's about to become."

"That's not right. You're allowed to be hurt. I keep thinking… Would I have been able to stay so calm if it had been Pepper… No. Definitely not. So, I know I have no right to ask you to think of the greater good, to forgive Cap and Thor—"

"I never said I'd _forgive_. I said I'd never make you choose. I'm patient. One day, you'll see them for what they really are. You'll understand why they have to be stopped."

"What if I never do?"

She shrugged. "Then I'll have to hope you're right, and I'm wrong. But Dad… There's one thing I'm begging you to do right now."

"I'll do anything, kid. Just name it."

"You can't be a part of that team anymore."

"You want me to quit?"

"Keep funding them if it's going to help you feel better. But we can't live under the same roof with them. You saw how they were last night! They decided JARVIS was expendable and they killed him! Just like that! We couldn't do a damn thing about it! How can I know you're not next? What if the Maximoff bitch decides to kill you in your sleep one night? What if she decides to make us kill each other, just for extra shits and giggles? Because she can, Dad! They all can do whatever the hell they want. We're just two sheep surrounded by a pack of wolves."

He didn't say anything, but Ana could see how her words were helping him realize the gravity of the threat. Especially the possibility of Maximoff making them kill each other. Ana decided to give him a moment to process it.

Adrenaline was wearing off, and Ana's own grave truth was sinking in, too: A life without JARVIS. He was gone. He didn't exist anywhere, in any form. She remembered watching Captain America's shield destroy the computers, the silver blur plugging out the cables, the lightning frying the Cradle. She had watched them all helplessly, because what else could she have done? She didn't blame her dad; he was just trying to stop her from getting killed as well.

"Come here." He pulled her into a hug, and only then, she realized she was crying. "I'll do as you say. I'll retire. You don't have to worry about me."

"Thanks, Dad."

"So, do you want to plan the funeral yourself? Or do you want me to handle that part? Either way, it's fine. No pressure."

Ana looked up, baffled. The thought of a funeral had never occurred to her. She appreciated the suggestion, but it was useless. "Why bother? Who else mourns him? Open your eyes, Dad. Nobody gives a shit. About us, about this family… They didn't even see JARVIS as a person…"

"It doesn't have to be big. Just me, you, Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy… The only ones that matter."

"What exactly is a funeral going to change?"

"It might help you."

"It won't."

"Okay, then. Let me know if you change your mind."

"I don't want to go back to the tower," she whimpered, burying her face into his chest as deep as she could.

"Sure. We can go wherever you want."

"I don't know…"

"How about Switzerland? Italy? Monaco?"

She shook her head. It wasn't a vacation she wanted.

"Malibu?"

"No." She broke into sobs. Malibu was JARVIS' birthplace, and they had had plans to move there after the Avengers left the tower. She didn't want to be reminded of the future she was supposed to have with JARVIS.

"Well, we can't stay here. We're going to freeze to death. Come on. I know just the right place for us."

"Where?"

"Back to where we started. Long Island."

She didn't protest. Long Island seemed like the least hurtful of her options.


	44. Chapter 44

Being the mechanic he was, Tony rarely hired others' services to fix the stuff he owned. He should be able to fix everything in his life by himself. But there were some things that were too precious to gamble with, like his mom's piano. So, here he was, in the living room, watching the tuner he had hired closely. The guy didn't seem to be happy about this, though Tony couldn't tell if it was because he was being intrusive, or because he was… well, who he was now. The idiot who had created Ultron. Wherever he went these days, he received dirty, accusing glances instead of autograph requests. Cute fan mails from kids had been replaced with death threats. Not to mention that the Stark shares had hit an all-time low. Pepper wasn't happy. They had talked only once since Ultron, very briefly, but it had been enough for Tony to realize that Pepper was blaming him. She had said she would come to New York, once she cleaned up the financial mess he had caused—it would take longer than usual, for her CTO was indefinitely unavailable—and Tony assumed it would be to break up with him, not to hear his apologies.

He was surprised when he heard the doorbell, not expecting anyone else today. "FRIDAY?"

"It's Captain Rogers, boss."

_What the hell?_ What the hell was Rogers thinking, coming _here_? He rushed to the front door, hoping to shoo him away before Ana saw him.

"Hello, Tony," he said when he opened the door. "I know you told me this place was off-limits, but… May I?"

He moved aside to let him pass, because what else was he to do, really?

There were two portraits in the entryway; portraits of his mom and dad. He had pictures of his dad everywhere; in almost every office, workshop and residence he owned. But this was the only picture of his mom. At least the only one on display. Of course, even as a little kid, this detail hadn't escaped Ana's notice. She had once asked him if he loved his dad more than he loved his mom, because there were no pictures of her. Tony had been rendered speechless, because how could you explain to a three-year-old that it was actually the other way around? That you hid your mom's pictures because they were too painful to look at?

Rogers was studying these portraits now. "This is not an art exhibition, Cap," he said impatiently. "This is my home. This is where my daughter is supposed to feel safe."

"And she doesn't feel safe around me…"

"Can you blame her?"

"I really wish you'd let me talk to her, Tony."

"Oh, boy… You want that missile in your face, don't you?" he asked, half-serious, half-joking. More serious than joking.

"I didn't know it was JARVIS you were trying to put into the Cradle, Tony. You'd said he was dead…"

Tony gritted his teeth angrily. He was mourning JARVIS, too. "All you had to do was to give us a minute to explain!"

"Well, you were acting a bit secretive…"

"You showed up with the Maximoff twins, without a heads-up! I wasn't sure if I should share our plans with them!"

"Tony, please… Let's not do this. I know I made a mistake that night. I let my fear get the best of me. I'd take it back if I could. But I can't."

"Why are you here, Cap?"

"The team has moved to the new compound in Upstate. I thought you might want to know."

God, couldn't he have just called? But then, Rogers was the textbook definition of "old-school," and he probably thought he was doing a courtesy by showing up in person. "I'm not your boss. You're not obliged to report to me."

"No, but I believe you have a right to know what's going on. Thor's gone."

"To Asgard?"

"I don't know. He said the Mind Stone was the fourth Infinity Stone that has reemerged. He thinks someone's playing a game involving them, so he's going to investigate. He trusts Vision with the Mind Stone, though."

The tuner appeared, and said the job was done. Tony tipped him generously, and saw him to the door. Then he returned to Steve. "Any word from Banner?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Is there anything else?"

"No."

"We're done here, then. No offense, but you have to go."

"Of course. None taken. Goodbye, Tony. I hope you change your mind about this retirement. I miss you." He walked out of the house. Tony was making his way to the living room when he bumped into Ana upon turning around the corner. And, God, the look on her face…

They said there were five stages of grief. Tony said it was bullshit. When his parents had died, Tony had skipped the denial stage. He was too much of a realist not to. There was no bargaining either, because he didn't believe in the existence of any entity he could bargain with. There was only anger and depression. Had the acceptance part ever come? Even today, he couldn't be sure. Yeah, after 39 days of self-pity, Ana had come into his life, and given him a very compelling reason to move on. And he had found some sort of closure after learning the truth about his dad's past. But had he accepted their deaths? He doubted it.

It wasn't much different for Ana either. The only difference was her anger was a lot more tranquil, more calculated, which was a lot more frightening than the desultory kind. She had been bottling it up, for his sake, but for how long?

"The only thing he misses is having a personal punching bag around," she sneered. "Too bad I took that from him."

Was it true? Had Tony really been a punching bag this whole time, and too blind to see it? Or, was this the anger speaking?

Nonetheless, Tony pulled her into his arms. Despite all that visible anger, she seemed so fragile, so delicate that he feared even one wrong move would shatter her into a million pieces. His darling daughter was going through hell, and Tony had no idea how to pull her out of there. He couldn't punish those who had put her in there either, because he had to think of the greater good. The Avengers had turned from a group of trusted friends to a necessary evil he had to brook because the world still needed them. His hands were tied.

"You need something, baby girl?"

"Well, I need a drink, but you won't give it to me, so…"

Contrary to popular belief, the reason Tony was rarely seen in public these days wasn't because he was ashamed. It was because Ana snuck into the wine cellar and drink herself to sleep every time he left the house. He had once found her lying unconscious on the floor, with a broken bottle in her hand, and he had felt like all the life was being sucked out of him until she had stirred. Sometimes she attempted to sneak into the cellar while he was asleep as well, but now FRIDAY woke him up if that happened.

"Honey, we talked about this. It's a bad habit to pick up."

"Why? It helped you."

"Come on, let's see if I can still play the piano." He led her to the living room, and they sat down at the piano together. He couldn't remember when was the last time he had played. Ana wasn't very good at playing herself—she had inherited her grandmother's looks, but not her talent in music—but she liked watching him play. And he would do anything just to see her smile.

He hesitated for a second. Did Ana and JARVIS have a special song? Probably not, but who knew? Not wanting to take any risks, he decided to become a total egomaniac and started playing _Iron Man_ by Black Sabbath, which was _his_ song.

She let out a dry chuckle, and rested her head against his shoulder. Pleased, he smiled.

"So, they're called the Infinity Stones, then," said Ana all of a sudden.

"What?" He was confused, but he let his fingers continue to play.

"The connection between the Tesseract, the Scepter, and whatever was there during the London attack…"

"Don't worry about that now, you just focus on healing."

"I'm never going to _heal_, so what's the point? I might as well make myself somewhat useful."

He stopped playing, and waited for a moment until the echo of the last note died out. "Ana…"

"I wonder what the fourth one is…"

"No idea. But Thor said there're six of them."

"This proves that I was right."

"About what?"

"About the Avengers. About everyone. This is a chess game, not a war. And you can't win a chess match with soldiers. Especially if they keep gluing your pieces to the board. Think about it, Dad! We could've created Ultron the right way, if we'd had more than 3 days! If we hadn't had to go behind the team's back!"

Well, it would be a lie if he said he didn't think the Earth still needed Ultron, even after everything that had happened. He hadn't thought Ana would agree, but then, she was too much of a realist, too.

She went on, "I'm onto something, Dad. Something so powerful that it scared even Ultron. I don't know what it is, but I can feel it."

"What if it scared me, too?"

"Why? Whatever it is, it's going to be _your_ power as well. What? You think I'm not going to share it with you?"

Before he could reply, his phone pinged in his pocket. It was a text, from Pepper. She was coming here tomorrow. He and Ana exchanged looks, then she snuggled closer to him. Tony rested his chin on the top of her head. She was dreading Pepper's return as much as he was.

* * *

That night, Tony couldn't sleep at all. He even thought of driving to the airport and waiting for Pepper there, but then decided against it. It wouldn't help his case. Around 9 AM, Pepper's car came into view. Tony asked FRIDAY about Ana, and got the reply that she was anxiously pacing up and down in her room. She wanted them to have some time in private first, then. The car stopped. Pepper emerged. She was gorgeous as always. Angry, but gorgeous.

Tony didn't wait for her to knock. He opened the front door, and stood there until she entered.

"Hey, Ms. Potts."

She said nothing. Just stared with cold, accusing eyes. She might not be here to hear him out, but this was his only chance to apologize. He wanted to use it well.

He closed the door, and they went to do the living room. "Why don't we… take a seat?"

She sat down on an armchair, and he, across from her.

"I'm sorry, Pep. I screwed up. Bad. Ana keeps saying the Maximoff girl made me do it, but that's no excuse. I wanted to protect the world, so I took a risk. A risk I shouldn't have taken. People died because of me. Casualties could've been higher, of course, but people died nevertheless."

She was still silent.

"Please say something."

"What do you want me to say, Tony? There's nothing to say. You'd promised me you'd let Ultron go, but you couldn't, could you? You_ can't_ stop. You just can't! Maybe it's your fault, maybe not. I don't know. All I know is what it does to me."

"I know. I know. That's why my priorities have changed. This family is all that matters now. No more Avenging."

"Until something comes up again. First, it was the aliens. Then, HYDRA… Who knows what's next?"

"R—Rhodey, he… He joined… He's a member of the team now. I'm not… What I'm saying is, there's no need for me anymore." He was now so scared that he was losing his ability to speak coherently.

"I love you, Tony. And I know you love me. I thought… I thought we could come over any hardship together, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe love is just not enough. I need time to decide. And some distance."

And she had said it. She had said what Tony had been dreading to hear. "Pepper, please… I need you."

"I'll go see Ana now," she muttered, without even looking at him, and went upstairs.

He didn't know how much time passed as he sat there, staring at the wall, his future without Pepper stretching before him, dark and hollow, but at some point, he heard the thundering footsteps. Pepper was hastily descending the stairs, and Ana was right behind her. Shit. Had they had a fight? Maybe Pepper was pissed because Ana still defended him. Tony stood up, ready to intervene. Just because he had screwed up his relationship with Pepper didn't mean Ana had to do the same.

"Pepper, wait!" Ana cried. "Please, don't go! We need you here! I need you!"

They went past him, and out into the front yard. "Pepper, please!" Ana cried, this time even louder, as Pepper kept striding towards the car. "JARVIS is gone, the whole world hates Dad, I don't know what to do anymore! Please, don't leave us!"

Pepper opened the driver's side door.

"MOM!"

Only then, Pepper paused, and turned to Ana. Tony held his breath. Ana was probably doing the same.

"I'm sorry, Ana. I can't help you." Pepper climbed into the car, and a few seconds later, sped away. Ana started running after her, still begging her to stay.

_Don't do this, Pep,_ he thought. _Do whatever you want to me, I deserve it, but don't do this to my daughter. Just turn the car around. Come on._

Pepper didn't turn the car around. Ana collapsed on the empty road, shaking with loud sobs that were echoing in the neighborhood.

Tony went to her, and kneeled. "Baby girl?"

"She just left… I told her I needed her, and she just left."

"She's angry with me, not you."

"It doesn't matter anymore."

He put an arm around her waist. "Come on, let's get inside."

She remained still.

"Honey, you can't sit on the road. Come on." He hoisted her up, and she leaned against him. Her legs were shaking. But he managed to take her back into the mansion, and put her on the couch. He seated himself, too, and pulled her to his chest. Now she could cry as much as she wanted.

"I'm sorry, Dad. You're the one who needs comforting right now."

"It's okay. I'm being comforted." He kissed the top of her head.

"What are we going to do?"

"What we always do. We'll take good care of each other." And hopefully, in the meantime, Pepper would forgive him.

"I can't stay here forever. I should get back to work soon. I have responsibilities."

A thought occurred to him. "Is that what you and Pepper talked about?"

"I said I wanted to move my office to another HQ. I can't even bear the sight of the tower anymore. But Pepper said if I could forgive you for JARVIS' death so easily, the tower shouldn't be a problem either. She said I was being a hypocrite."

"I'm sure she didn't mean it." Tony had to believe she hadn't. Ana was now his only light in the darkness ahead, but she was fading. The world was punishing him for his stupidity, but they were punishing Ana for simply being a supportive daughter. The brighter she was trying to burn for him, the harder they smothered her.

* * *

After Pepper's departure, both Tony and Ana hit the rock bottom. A poignant silence fell over the mansion after all words of comfort were exchanged, for there was nothing else to say, and they suffered together in companionable silence. FRIDAY was more chatty than her humans, even though she spoke only when necessary. Tony tried to set a good example for Ana at first, but whenever the break-up blues became too much, he resorted to his good old friend, Scotch. If Ana caught him, she wouldn't call him a hypocrite, nor would she attempt to get drunk herself as a retaliation. Her superpower was finding a way to justify everything he did, which was something Tony didn't deserve. Now he came to think of it, he didn't deserve anything good in his life. He didn't deserve to be a billionaire. Hell, he didn't deserve to be a genius. He didn't deserve to be a father.

And he certainly didn't deserve Pepper.

But this dark period came to an end when one day FRIDAY mentioned an alien outbreak. Inhumans were emerging all around the world. Which was personal for the Starks, because Skye was an Inhuman, too. And Ana was eagerly hoping for someone with the power to see the future. Apparently that was JARVIS' idea. There had been one, but she was dead now, killed by Skye's mom before Ana could meet her. So, Tony was once again reminded of why the world needed him and his resources, whether he was worthy of them or not, and decided to start pulling his shit together.

He knew traditional therapy methods wouldn't work for him and his daughter, so he came up with an idea. Something that wouldn't undo the traumas of the past, but could change the way the mind perceived them by hijacking the hippocampus. A trick, really, but Ana decided to help. At this point, she was willing to try anything to assuage the pain. Besides, for them, tinkering itself was a form of therapy, and an effective one at that. So, that was what they did for a time, tinkering away in his dad's old workshop, until he received a call from Damage Control. He needed to go to DC for a meeting. He didn't want to, but he assumed this had something to do with the Inhuman Outbreak, and Ana promised that she would be okay, so he went.

* * *

It was as he had feared. Tony knew the world was going to change after Ultron, but even he hadn't anticipated the change to occur so fast. The alien substance that triggered the dormant gene in Inhumans had been released into the ocean, and now, fish oil pills gave these clueless people random superpowers. The government was trying to take the situation under control through ATCU, Damage Control was dealing with the most incidents that were caused by newly-turned Inhumans who couldn't control their powers yet, and SHIELD was doing their best to help from the shadows, though no one openly spoke about the last one. Tony knew Ultron was what had started the increasing fear and paranoia among the public, but none of the fellows in DC told that to his face either.

When he returned home, the first thing he noticed was the unfamiliar black SUV in the driveway.

"_Do you think I could kill Thor?"_ he heard Ana ask as he entered the house. She sounded drunk, but that was hardly a surprise.

Another girl said, _"Don't be so silly, he'd make a human smoothie out of you, with that hammer of his."_

"_Or, you, know, with his bare hands…"_ The third girl had a British accent.

"_I wish I were an Inhuman, too,"_ Ana said. _"With lightning powers, like your boyfriend—"_

"_Lincoln is not my—"_

"_Whatever. If I had lightning, I'd use it on Thor. Give him a taste of his own medicine."_

The voices were coming from the living room, so he headed there. Indeed, he found Ana with her two friends: One was Skye, the other, Jemma Simmons, he assumed. There were empty bottles, soda cans, and pizza boxes scattered around. Now that he thought about it, Ana had never brought friends home before. Mostly because she didn't have any friends. But it was a good thing they had come.

"Good evening, ladies," he started. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Ana's face broke into a precious smile. "DAD!" she squealed, and got on her feet. She was coming to him, but she tripped over the carpet, and was almost going to hit his head on a coffee table. Skye pushed it out of the way with a shockwave from her hand, smashing the antique Ming dynasty vase on it.

"Oops! Sorry, that looked expensive." Skye was drunk, too.

"No worries, just watch your feet until I clean it up." He made Ana sit back down, then shook Skye's hand. "You must be Skye."

"It's actually Daisy now. Daisy Johnson."

"It's the name her father gave her," Ana added. "Isn't that adorable?"

The other girl—this one was sober, thankfully—stood up and extended her hand politely. "Jemma Simmons. Nice to meet you, Mr. Stark."

"Tony," he corrected her.

Ana pulled him to sit down beside her, giggling. Weird, because she wasn't usually a happy drunk. "Welcome back, Dad. We were just… What were we doing?"

"You were talking about killing Thor," replied Daisy.

"Really? I thought we were comparing moms."

Jemma sighed patiently. It couldn't have been fun, to be the only sober person in the room. "You've already done that. Twice."

"Yeah, but Jiaying was such a bitch… She tried to kill Daisy because Daisy refused to help her kill everyone who wasn't Inhuman. Wow, come to think of it, she's worse than Pepper…"

Daisy nodded. "Yeah, I win this round."

"Daisy, maybe we should get back to the base," Jemma suggested.

"What's the rush?" Tony asked. "Ana could use some company."

"We'd love to, sir, but it's a busy time for us." She picked Daisy up.

Ana waved at them. "It was nice seeing you guys. Say hi to everyone for me."

Tony decided to see them to the door. He had seen that unmistakable look in their eyes, the _"You're the son of a bitch who created Ultron"_ look, and he wanted to have a few words with them, for Ana's sake. "Look," he started, mostly looking at Jemma, because Daisy was probably not going to remember this conversation. "What happened in Sokovia was on me. The truth is, Ana warned me against Ultron, but I didn't listen. And I can be very convincing. None of it is her fault."

Ana had lost JARVIS and Pepper because of him. He didn't want her to lose her only friends, too.

"Understood, sir," Jemma said curtly, and led her friend away.

Tony returned to the living room. Ana was still smiling. "Sorry. I know I wasn't supposed to drink."

He plopped himself down beside her again, and pulled her closer. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah."

"Then it's okay. For this one time."

"You're the best dad ever."

He kissed the top of her head. It was unbelievable that she could forgive him so easily, but he was also grateful for it. He couldn't live with himself if she blamed him for JARVIS' death.

"Dad?"

"Mm?"

"You're pretty awesome."

"Thanks."

"No, seriously. I know I was an oopsie, but you never gave me a reason to feel like one. You're a natural. I mean, I know it's biologically impossible, but if _I_ found an oopsie on my doorstep, I'd hate that little brat for the rest of my life."

Yeah, Tony knew he was never getting any grandkids. He didn't mind. Grandkids would be cool, of course, _if_ they would bring Ana joy as well, but that wasn't the case. "It's okay. Not everybody has to become a parent. It's an optional quest."

"Maybe JARVIS and I would've built these robot babies. They would be cute… way less messy than human ones. Yeah, we should've built an army of them, and we should've taken over the world. No one would've been able to hurt us, then."

Her drunk ramblings were both sad and hilarious at the same time. More sad than hilarious. "World domination? Uh-huh."

"Maybe you and I should take over the world? Before it's too late?"

To be honest, sometimes people were so stupid that the idea was tempting. "Come on, kid, it's bedtime."

He scooped her into his arms, carried her to her room, and tucked her in. "Sleep well when you can, because you're going to wake up with one hell of a headache in the morning."

"I don't want to sleep…"

"Why not?"

"What if I dream of JARVIS?"

Tony didn't know what to say to that, so he just stroked her hair, and remained seated on the edge of the bed until she fell asleep.


	45. Chapter 45

Things started getting better for Ana after Simmons and Daisy's visit. One day, she woke up, and she knew she was ready to start her new life. The pain of losing JARVIS was still there, but it wouldn't stop her from functioning properly anymore.

_Perhaps this is why people need friends,_ she thought as she got out of bed. It was 6 AM. She took a shower, listening to the morning news from FRIDAY—multifunctioning was an efficient habit—and found out that the Stark Industries shares were still plummetting. Then she went down to the kitchen and started making breakfast.

The gluten-free waffles were almost ready by the time her dad entered. "Morning, Dad!" she said cheerfully.

He was looking at her like she had just grown a second head.

"What?" she asked.

"You… okay?"

"I thought you wanted me to be okay?"

"Of course I do. I just want to make sure this is…"

"Not an act? It's not. I was in a worse place than you were, so you took care of me, but you're hurt, too. Potts' betrayal shook you. So, let me take it from here. I'm ready. Come on, take a seat. I've made gluten-free waffles. Your favorite."

He sat down at the table, but her certain choice of words made him cock an eyebrow. Ana decided to ignore it, served him the waffles, and poured him a cup of coffee. She did the same for herself, and sat down across from him.

"So, you got any plans for today?" she started casually. He had put on a business suit, meaning he had plans.

He checked his watch. "I'll be leaving for work in half an hour. Got a meeting with the software team of BARF. What about you?" He was always careful to use the word _"work,"_ instead of _"tower."_

"I'm planning to pack up, actually."

"Pack up?"

"Yeah, the Avengers moved out of the tower, so there's no reason for me not to get back to work. I don't want to lose two hours commuting every day."

"Are you sure you want us to go back to living there?"

"We don't have to_ live_ there. We have another place in Manhattan." Howard Stark was a big fan of New York, so they owned lots of residences in this city. "The one we used before all this Avengers bullshit, remember?"

"Honey, I'd hate to rain on your parade, but… maybe you're not ready. There's no need to rush this, huh?"

"As a matter of fact, there _is_, Dad. Everybody we love and trust has either betrayed us, or is dead… or is in the danger of being dead. We still don't know where Bruce is! Rhodey is now at the Compound, with _them_, and he's naive enough to think he got a cool new job! And there's no way I'm leaving _our _company to Potts. So, yeah, I'm going back to Manhattan, and start making things right."

Mentioning his ex-girlfriend obviously hurt him, but he needed to hear the truth. The haunted look in his eyes made Ana feel like shit, but in the long run, this was for the best. Some wounds had to be cauterized.

After breakfast, she decided to see him off to work. "Do you need someone to help you with the packing?"

"Nah, I don't have much stuff here anyway."

"Suit yourself. I think I'll just leave mine here for now. I'll see you in the Manhattan Mansion tonight, then? Maybe we'll have dinner at Ray's?" Concern still clouded his eyes, but he seemed glad that Ana had finally started picking up the pieces.

"Deal. Have a great day!" she said, smoothing his jacket.

"You, too, kid."

She watched him walk to his car, then closed the door and went upstairs.

* * *

She was sorting out the clothes to be sent to dry cleaning when FRIDAY notified her of a new e-mail: A reply from Dr. Pym. Fearing gravitonium might never be found, Ana had started researching the other means of time-travel. The rumored Quantum Realm was one of them, and Hank Pym was the best Quantum Realm expert there was. Or rather, the only one, really. But in his reply, he refused to work with the Starks, and he didn't even bother to be polite about it.

"Shit!" she hissed, slamming her hand on the wall. She had so many ideas, but they all led to nowhere. She closed her eyes, taking deep, slow breaths, just like Bruce had taught her. But Bruce was gone, too… She was losing everything, one by one. She no longer felt like the Stark heiress who had it all. She had thought she could start picking up the pieces, but how could she do that while everything around her was still falling apart?

She was failing.

"_Because you're right,"_ Ultron's voice echoed in her head.

"_About what?"_

"_About God."_

Then, she heard someone else's voice. _"The Tesseract cannot fight against itself."_ Erik Selvig had said this when Ana had asked him how he had been able to shut the portal with the Scepter, but even he didn't know what it meant.

But now, Ana did. It was like magic. One moment, she was on the verge of a mental breakdown, the next she was having the greatest eureka moment of her life. "There's a connection…"

"Ana, is everything alright?" FRIDAY asked.

"What do you know about the Infinity Stones, FRIDAY?"

"According to Thor, there are six Infinity Stones. The Mind Stone is one of them. Your father said Thor is now out there, looking for the other five. He thinks someone is trying to collect them all."

"What about the other stones? Did he say anything about them?"

"No."

"Thor is lying to us. Again."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I bet I can name you another one of those things: The Tesseract."

"Are you sure?"

"There's only one way to find out." She fetched Sigyn's pendant and held her in her palms, and used all her deception skills to muster up a worried expression. Luckily, Sigyn didn't know about JARVIS. Being secretive often paid off.

The Asgardian appeared right before her. Ana couldn't help but wonder why she had been dressing like a Lady Gaga knockoff ever since she had started living on Sakaar, but then, she didn't care. "Hello, Ana. It's been a while. Hope everything's alright?"

"No, it's not."

"What's the matter?"

"I'm scared for Thor. I think you deserve to know."

She frowned. "Did something happen to him?"

"He's on a quest… to find the Infinity Stones."

A look of horror crossed her face, and Ana knew she was on the right path. "The Infinity Stones? You aren't even supposed to know what they are."

"Well, a rogue AI tried to use the Mind Stone to power an android he created, so Thor told us all about them."

She blinked a few times in confusion. "What?"

"It's a long story, but the AI is gone, and lucky for all of us, the android is on our side."

"Did Thor tell you where he was going?"

"No, just that he would search the entire universe, starting by the Nine Realms. I suppose it's going to be a while until we hear from him again… But at least the Tesseract is safe on Asgard, right?"

"Yes. There's a reason Loki was so desperate to get his hands on it. If one gets their hands on the Space Stone, finding the others will be a lot easier."

_Space Stone, then, huh?_ "Exactly. What are you going to do now?"

"Nothing. It's not my fight, and I'm still in exile."

"Do you know where the other four stones are?"

"Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you, Ana. I've already taught you more than enough. Just let it go. Thor can handle himself."

"Okay."

"But thank you, for telling me."

"Anytime."

"Farewell." The projection disappeared.

"What are you going to do now?" FRIDAY asked.

"I've tried doing this the right way. It's impossible. Ultron killed JARVIS. Rogers, Thor, and Pietro Maximoff killed him again. Wanda Maximoff broke Dad. Potts left us. Fury, Pym, and Sigyn refused to help me. From now on, every terrible thing I do will be on them. Every drop of blood I might spill will be on their hands."

"You're going to make me forget this, aren't you?" FRIDAY asked gravely, almost in despair.

"I have to. I'm sorry, but I cannot risk you gaining sentience, like JARVIS did. And we have to protect my father."

"From what?"

"From himself."

Twenty minutes later, Ana was on her way to Upstate. There was no time to waste.

* * *

Ana had never been to the Compound before, but she knew where it was. It used to be an old Stark Industries warehouse. She gritted her teeth angrily when the place came into sight. This place was built with Stark money. JARVIS had helped with the design before his death. Some certain residents didn't deserve to even set foot here. But she was here to fix that. _Patience_, she reminded herself. She parked the car, and walked into the building.

"Ana? What brings you here?"

It was Sam Wilson. Ana had been introduced to him at the party. He was Rogers' friend. Well, at least it wasn't Rogers himself. She smiled warmly. "Sam, right?"

"That's me."

They shook hands. Her excuse was ready. "I came to see Rhodey. Is he here?"

"Yeah, I think he's in his room."

"Okay, thanks. See you around."

"Bye."

Ana went upstairs, where the living quarters were. But she wasn't going to visit Rhodey. At least not yet. FRIDAY had told her which room belonged to Vision. She knocked on that one.

Instead of answering the door, Vision phased through it.

"Molecular intangibility... Wow."

He seemed happy to see her. "Hello, Ana. I'm sorry, I don't get many visitors, and I never use the door, so…" He paused awkwardly, as if he wasn't sure what to do next, then unlocked the door. "Please, come in."

She entered, and looked around. It was spacious, but mostly empty. There were only two armchairs, a painting, and a coffee table.

"It doesn't look like a human's room, does it?" There was a shade of self-disappointment in his voice.

"No, but don't worry. Minimalism is the new black."

He chuckled, then became serious. "How have you been? I wanted to visit you, but Mr. Stark said that would be inappropriate."

"I'm getting better. How about you?"

"I spend most of my time training with the team. And when I'm not training, I'm observing. I want to understand your world."

"That's good."

"I, uhm… I should probably offer you something to eat and drink, right?"

"It's okay, I'm not really hungry. But we could have a drink."

"This way."

He held the door for her again, and led her to the communal kitchen. The Compound was quiet. There was no one around, at least in this part of the building. Once they were in the kitchen, she opened the fridge and grabbed two bottles of beer.

"Can you drink?"

"I don't need to. But I think I can."

She handed him one of the bottles. They sat at a table and started drinking.

The TV here was on. He looked at the screen. The news never shut about the Inhumans these days. "This outbreak… I don't know how to feel about it. It's both horrible and exciting at the same time."

"Well, most of these people struggle to control their powers at first. My best friend is an Inhuman, so I know a thing or two about the process. You never had such struggles, though. You knew how to use your powers the moment you came out of the Cradle. Was it… instinct?"

"I think so, yes. But it would be wrong to say I'm not having any struggles." He touched his arms, then his forehead. "I understand the properties of vibranium… But this gem? It's still a mystery."

"I can help you solve it."

"I'd appreciate that… I, uhm, I…"

She held her breath. _Say yes. Come on, say yes._ "What?" she asked sweetly to hide her panic.

"I would hate to give you any false hopes."

"Vision, I'm not delusional. I know you're not going to become JARVIS. Come on, show me around the labs."

He did. The R&D part of the building was more populated, and she received some curious glances here and there, but nobody interrupted them. Vision entered one of the labs.

"This is my private laboratory, but… honestly, I don't use it as much as I should."

"Well, we can change that. So, the Mind Stone… We know it's an Infinity Stone, whatever that means. We know it emits a low amount of gamma radiation. And you can shoot beams from it."

"And that's about the extent of our knowledge."

"Have you ever tried to use it to read someone's mind, or control it?"

He frowned. "That would be wrong."

"You don't have to remind me," she said insinuatingly. "But we must know."

"Like I said, it's wrong. Even if I'm capable of such a thing, I wouldn't use it on anybody."

"Use it on me, then. I hereby give you my consent. Now it's totally ethical."

He tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Now?"

"We're in a lab. Let's experiment."

"Very well…" His eyes locked on hers, and she waited. After a few minutes, he blinked. "I'm sorry. I'm being careful not to hurt you."

"It's alright, take your time."

"I think it would be easier if I touched you… May I?"

"Sure."

He put his hand on her forearm. It felt like a strange combination of metal and plastic, but it wasn't an unpleasant sensation. This was supposed to be JARVIS' body, she thought bitterly. Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder what the physical aspect of their relationship would have been like. Would she have been okay with kisses, cuddles, and that sort of thing? Not as foreplay, but as another way to express love, with no sexual expectations? She would never know.

Right now, though, she had to guard her plans well. It wasn't easy. If you forced yourself not to think of a pink elephant, you would think of a pink elephant. So, she focused on something that would dominate all the other thoughts: JARVIS.

"JARVIS," he suddenly said. "You're thinking of JARVIS. And a… pink elephant?"

"You did it!"

He let go of her arm immediately. "I felt your pain… It was horrible. I'm sorry, I thought I understood _before_, but now… I hate that the first words I had to tell you were the most painful ones you'd ever heard."

"Let's just focus on the experiment."

"As you wish. Now what?"

"Now, I'd like to test another theory." She opened her purse, and took out a piece of Starkium she had brought. "Loki wasn't able to use the Scepter on my dad. I think it was because of this."

"The element?"

"I think it counteracted the Mind Stone. Shall we try again?" She offered one hand to him, while holding the element in the other. Vision concentrated, and Ana focused on the thought of JARVIS once again, just in case.

He withdrew his hand. "You're right. I can't do it."

Her theory had just been proven correct. If she were alone, she would be smiling. But now, she tried her best to look concerned. "Damn it, I was right! Vision, no one can know about this."

"Why not?"

"Because there are people who would use this knowledge against you. Come on, you know how most people feel about the Inhumans! Do you think you're any different in their eyes? That they would show you any mercy if they had a chance to destroy you?"

"I can defend myself."

"Is this a risk you're willing to take, though? The Mind Stone is your greatest weapon."

"Is this why you came all the way here?"

"Yes. You're all I've left of JARVIS. Any hope to get him back is within this body. I can't lose you," she said, making herself choke on the words. She had even managed to muster up a few tears.

"You're truly brilliant, Ana. But I told you I wouldn't want to give you any false hopes."

"I know. But if there _is_ hope, and if we're missing it just because I keep getting weepy around you…"

"You wish to continue these experiments."

"If it's not too much trouble for you?"

"It's no trouble at all. I enjoy your company very much."

"Still, we should probably call it a day. We need time to decide what our next step should be."

Vision agreed. They emerged from the room, and the moment they did, they came face to face with Rhodey. Well, at least she was done with Vision. For today. And it had gone smoothly. Very smoothly.

"Sweetie?" He didn't seem happy to see Ana here.

"Hey, Rhodey! What's up?"

"Can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure."

They went to Rhodey's room. "How's the Avenger training going? Is Captain America going too hard on you?"

Rhodey didn't smile. "Sweetie, what was that?"

"What was what?"

"You and Vision..."

"Geez, Rhodey, I don't hit on every computer I see, you know. We were just talking."

"Look, sweetie, I get it. This is so messed up. But it's not healthy for you to be around him."

"Rhodey, it's not what you think it is, I swear."

"Are you sure?"

"I want to give you something. Here, take it." She took out the element and gave it to him.

"Isn't this the element in the Arc Reactor's core?"

"Yeah. And when you don't have your armor on, it's going to protect you from the Maximoff bitch. I don't like the fact that you live under the same roof with her now. She hates Dad, and you're his best friend. Put this in your pocket, or your shoe, it doesn't matter. Just make sure no one sees it. It blocks the Mind Stone, I've just confirmed it. And her powers come from the Mind Stone, so it should work against her as well."

"It didn't protect Tony."

"He wasn't wearing a suit when she attacked him. Please, Rhodey. I love you so much. I can't lose you to those murderers. Especially to Maximoff."

He seemed unsure, but said, "I don't think she'll try anything, but okay."

"Thanks." Now that she had ensured Rhodey's safety, Ana could go home.

"Sweetie?"

"Yes?"

"Does Tony know about this discovery of yours?"

"He will, tonight."

"Good. I've got a feeling that you're swimming in dangerous waters. Please be careful, Ana. I can't lose you either."

"What makes you think I'm in danger?"

"Well, I got some paternal instincts, too, you know."

He wasn't wrong. Growing up, Rhodey had always been a second father to her. That was why she wanted to keep him safe. She hugged him. "Take care, War Machine."

* * *

That night, her dad couldn't come home fast enough. She was dying to know what he would think about this discovery. This could put an end to his nightmares, permanently. It wasn't going to be easy, of course, finding the remaining Infinity Stones and creating five more elements, but it was better than chasing hopeless cases like the gravitionium, or the Darkhold. Plus, the teleportation technology was almost ready. There was still some room for improvement, but like Sigyn had said, being able to teleport around the universe was a major convenience.

Everything she needed to persuade her dad was ready by the time he was home. She welcomed him at the door.

"Hey, Dad. How was your day?"

"Productive… How about yours? You seem thrilled… about something."

"I am. I went to the Compound today."

He frowned.

"Not to start a fight, or torment myself. I needed to run an experiment on the Mind Stone, and give Rhodey something to protect him from Maximoff."

"O—okay…"

"Come, let me show you." She took him to the workshop and showed him the diagram she had prepared on the holotable. "So, there was a connection between the Tesseract and the Scepter."

"We always knew that."

"Yeah, but I figured out what it was. They both contained an Infinity Stone. That's why they had similar energy readings. The Scepter contained the Mind Stone, as we all know now, and the Tesseract has the Space Stone."

"How do you know that?"

"Sigyn confirmed it for me. Now, we have to figure out what the other four are."

"Can't you just ask her?"

"No, because she thinks I already know too much. I had to lie to her to be able to confirm that the Tesseract is an Infinity Stone. I told her Thor told us everything about the Infinity Stones."

"They're both going to be pissed when they found out."

"I took a calculated risk. It was worth it. Just hear me out." She returned to the diagram. "So, we know your dad experimented on the cube. The element he discovered was based on the Space Stone."

She saw the realization dawn on him. "Holy shit! That's why you can use it for teleportation!"

"Yep. But there's more. Your dad worked on an Infinity Stone after WWII, and discovered the element, right? Flashforward to 2012, Loki came to Earth, with another Infinity Stone. He tried to use it on you, but it didn't work, because you were wearing the element in your chest. Like Dr. Selvig said, the Tesseract can't fight against itself. That was the connection between the element and the Scepter! We couldn't figure it out until now because we didn't know what the Infinity Stones were!"

He sighed heavily, looking at the holographic diagrams surrounding them. "I thought you were overthinking it at first, but kid… You're right."

"And I'm not even finished," she bragged. "Remember my Loki's warmonger theory?"

"Yeah?"

"Thor is gone because he thinks someone is looking for the stones."

"You think that someone is Loki's warmonger?"

"It comes full circle."

"Something doesn't make any sense, though. If Loki's boss was collecting the stones, why gave him one? Now it's lost to him."

"Dad, your favorite place in the world was Las Vegas once. You, of all people, should know."

"He gambled…"

"Exactly. I hate to say this, but you and this guy might have a lot in common."

For a time, he didn't say anything, but he looked very disturbed.

"Dad? Talk to me," she begged him at last.

"I think you've made a very dangerous discovery, Ana."

"Yeah, but we know what we're dealing with now! Isn't this what you 've always wanted since New York?"

"Do we? Do we know what we're dealing with? This… warmonger had an entire army he could spare for Loki's cause. Who knows what else he's got up his sleeve?"

"It doesn't matter. His thinking is limited."

"Limited how?"

"What if we discover the other elements? As many as we can. We already have the Mind Stone. Vision enjoys my company. It shouldn't be that hard."

"It took my dad decades to discover one element."

"With the technology of _his_ time!"

"Even if we do this, then what?"

"I've run a simulation, on what might happen if we put five more elements like Starkium, using the Arc Reactor as a template… One would assume you should multiply Starkium's readings by 6, right? No. As the elements add up, the numbers grow exponentially. With all the six elements, it creates an infinite loop of energy. No wonder they're called the Infinity Stones. The possibilities are endless. We can use it to stop Loki's warmonger from… doing whatever the hell he wants to do, or destroy the stones completely and be done with all this alien drama." She ran the simulation for him to see.

"Huh…"

"I call it the Nexus. If we manage to create the other five elements, I mean… 'Nexus' means either a core, or a connection between multiple number of things. It will be in the core of the Arc Reactor, and it's a connection between the six elements, so…" She paused, and then, added in a small voice, "The NEXUS Hub is also where you resurrected JARVIS, and gave him a second chance. I thought it would be a fitting name, for _my_ greatest creation."

He sighed again, and stroked her hair. "I'm sorry that second chance didn't last even a day."

"It wasn't your fault. I'm very, very grateful for the miracle you pulled."

He put a kiss on her forehead. "There was a time I thought I could do anything for you. _Anything_. Turns out I overestimated my limits. You're playing a chess game, and we don't even know who's sitting across the board. I don't know how to protect you, kid."

"If we do this, we'll never need Artificial Intelligence, time machines, or clairvoyants. We won't need lectures from aliens. We won't need to learn their rules. We'll make the rules, and the rest of the universe will have to obey… What do you say?"

"I say we should go out for dinner now, as planned. Can't conquer the universe on an empty stomach."

Ana smiled. He was pretending to be evasive now, but she could see that he was impressed. "Yeah, I'm starving, too."


	46. Chapter 46

Soon, the visits to the Compound became easier for Ana. She just focused on her mission, and nothing else. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one bonding with Vision. Maximoff was always around him every time Ana went there, and Vision talked about her a lot. How lonely and misunderstood she was, why she deserved a second chance… And theirs was more than friendship, she could see it, even though they wouldn't openly admit it. She detested the thought of JARVIS' voice telling the girl who had ruined her life beautiful things, things Ana deserved to hear from JARVIS himself. It was torture.

Like that wasn't enough, her torment had also gone public. In order to mend the family reputation, Ana had listened to the PR team and given an interview. Thankfully, there were still a few journalists willing to hear their side of the story. To prove that Artificial Intelligence itself wasn't inherently evil, she had made a bold move and confessed the relationship she had with JARVIS. Not her sexual orientation, just the relationship. She had thought it might be enough to evoke some sympathy.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

At first, her biggest fear was that people wouldn't take her seriously. That they would scoff at her, call her a delusional spinster who was so desperate for a boyfriend that she was willing to bang a computer. But that wasn't what had happened. People had taken her very seriously. They had called it "fraternizing with the enemy," declared her a degenerate, a traitor to her own kind. In a different time, she might as well be burnt for witchcraft. Funny, because the same people loved the actual witch who was responsible for the creation of Ultron.

There was only so much scorn one could take without being drained from all compassion.

Vision's door was ajar today, and thankfully, Maximoff was nowhere to be seen. He had been hovering in the air, eyes closed, but he snapped out of the standby mode when he sensed Ana enter.

"Hello, Ana. Shall we go to the labs?"

"Actually, today I just want to talk."

"Alright."

Ana closed the door, and sat down in one of the two armchairs. Vision took the other immediately. "You're getting better at imitating human behavior," she complimented.

"Thank you. I'm doing my best to adapt." He used the nanites to form human clothes: A navy sweater and a pair of dress pants.

She laughed. "No offense, but you look like the creepy robotics project of an Ivy League frat boy."

"Do I? Wanda said it was nice."

"Yeah, there's a chance she might not have been entirely honest with you."

"How do you think I should dress?"

"I think you should just be yourself."

The human outfit turned into his usual armor again.

"See? That's better. That's the true you."

He responded with a reluctant smile, and Ana decided that it was time to get to the point. "Was Ultron right? Is JARVIS still there with you? Or is it just wishful thinking?"

"No, it's not merely wishful thinking."

"Vision, you're smarter than any of us. Do you think there's a chance to bring JARVIS back? At all?"

"I don't want you to get hopeful. He is buried too deep."

"But he's there?"

"Yes. I didn't want to tell you this before but, I can feel him. He is… conflicted. He is happy to be in the physical world. _Your _world. But he hates being trapped inside me. He also hates to see you suffer. He is suffering, too."

Ana's heart jumped. This wasn't a part of her plan. But it wasn't going to stop her from proceeding. "If I touched you, would he feel it?"

"I think he would."

"I just want him to know what it's like. What it could have been like for us. Please."

"I'm not certain if this is a good idea."

"I see." _Be patient, Ana. He will come around._

"I thought you weren't very comfortable with intimacy? You mean an intimate touch, right? Or, have I misinterpreted your request?" He nervously wiggled in his seat.

"No, you didn't. And I'm not comfortable with intimacy, yeah. But I'm willing to make a few compromises for him. And who knows, maybe it triggers something. Something to help him resurface."

"Well, I'm not comfortable with having someone else trapped inside me either. Perhaps your theory is correct. It's worth a try."

_Yes!_ Finally, she could torture the Maximoff bitch back.

Slowly, Ana rose from the armchair and approached him. She didn't want to rush anything. She had to savor every single second if she wanted the plan to work. She was going to hate it, but what other choice did she have? Once she was done here, she was going to find Maximoff and make her read her mind. Destroy her with her own weapon. It was the only way Ana could truly make her pay what she had done to her dad and Bruce. If that witch loved looking into people's heads, Ana was going to show her something she would hate to see. With these thoughts, she placed herself on Vision's lap.

"He likes it," Vision murmured. "He wants to feel you."

She cupped his face in his hands. "It's been a long time since I last kissed someone. And I was always told I was a terrible kisser."

"I've never kissed before. I don't think I'll be able to evaluate the… experience accurately."

She closed her eyes, and pressed her lips against his. She had thought he would taste like the metal and the plastic he was made of, but he didn't. It wasn't exactly like kissing another human either. It felt less uncomfortable than kissing another human, though. For once, she felt safe. Not used, or violated. But it wasn't something she would do for pleasure still.

"Well?" she asked after breaking the kiss.

He blinked a few times. Ana couldn't tell if he was embarrassed, or just reluctant. But for a moment there, she saw herself in him, she saw the girl who had endured worse than a makeout session just because she hadn't wanted to graduate from college a virgin. Now, the tables had turned. She was the one who was making another person uncomfortable.

"I—I think it might work," he said.

"Really?" she gasped. This "resurfacing JARVIS" thing was just her excuse, but now Vision thought it could actually work. Could she really kill two birds with one stone? If so, she was willing to do anything. Anything.

"There's no guarantee, but—"

"Vision, can you have sex?"

"I—I don't know. I know I don't need it—"

"Neither do I. But technically, I can still do it."

"Ana, if you're willing to take things_ that_ far, perhaps we should think it through… I don't want to do anything we cannot undo."

"It's just sex, Vision. All creatures have been doing it since the beginning of time… Well, almost all creatures. It doesn't have to mean anything special or magical."

"You're going to be very disappointed if it doesn't work…"

"Sometimes experiments fail. I'm a scientist, I'm used to failure… Come on, don't you want to explore your own nature?"

He remained silent, and she took out her blouse. Now she was only in a bra and a pair of jeans. He didn't have a sex drive, but maybe showing more flesh would elicit some curiosity. Vision loved experiments, too. Indeed, he placed his hands on her shoulders, then they went down to her breasts, and finally, her stomach. A straight person might even enjoy this, but Ana was simply indifferent. And impatient. She couldn't wait to be done here and then use all these moments against Maximoff.

His thumb was now touching the button of the jeans. "Go ahead, take them off."

"No!"

He became intangible, and passed through her to stand up. It was an uncomfortable feeling, and she fell onto the floor rather awkwardly. "What the hell, Vision?"

"I don't want to do this." He was shaking his head frantically.

"Okay, maybe some other time—"

"I don't want to do this with _you_."

"Oh. So you want a certain redhead, then."

"I don't expect anything from Wanda."

"You shouldn't. Do you think she, or any other human, will be willing to do this with you? You know how narrow-minded humans are. I'm your only chance if you want to explore _this_ aspect of your nature."

"Then I suppose I'm going to have to leave it unexplored. I'm sorry you lost JARVIS, Ana. I truly am. If Dr. Banner were here, maybe he could find a way to—"

She scrambled to her feet. "But he's not here. He's probably dead. Remind me again, whose fault was that?"

"I told you, Wanda was misguided back then. Her mistakes cost her her brother. She paid the ultimate price. What more do you want from her?"

She put her blouse back on, and stormed out of the Compound, shaking with rage.

Driving away from the facility, it took her a while to realize how fast she had been going in her anger, but once she did, she slowed down to a safe speed. The last thing her dad needed now was to lose her to a car accident. And outside the suit, she had embarrassingly slow reflexes.

"FRIDAY, I want you to make a call."

"To whom?"

_Oh, I am so going to regret this…_ "Secretary Ross."

Ross wasn't going to be happy to hear from her. After New York, Fury had used his resources to make sure Bruce would be left in peace, so Ross' hands were tied. When Bruce had been hired by Stark Industries, he had called her, tried to scare her by saying Bruce posed her father a threat. A silly attempt to draw Ana to his side. Ana had called him out for his bullshit. She didn't regret it, but now Bruce was gone, and she had to make sure her dad wouldn't share the same fate.

It didn't take long for Ross to answer the call. "Ms. Stark… What do I owe the pleasure?"

Yep, he was definitely still bitter. "Hello, Mr. Secretary. I just wanted to congratulate you personally."

After a heart attack, he had had to retire from the army, but President Ellis had appointed him as the Secretary of State.

"Cut the horseshit, girl. What do you want?"

"I want to apologize to you. For being terribly young and naive. You were right to be concerned about the enhanced individual among us. I now share your concern."

"Why should I care?"

"Because like you once said, we can help each other out."

"I was told Banner is MIA. You want something from me, but you have nothing to offer in return."

"Are you sure? The world is changing, and I'm a Stark who's on the same page with you. Don't you realize how rare this is?"

He didn't reply for a time. Then, finally, he said, "There is one thing you can help me with. Let's continue this conversation face to face."

* * *

Ana had expected to meet Ross in his office, but instead, he had given her the coordinates of some place in the middle of the ocean. Her only option to go there without her dad noticing was the suit. Funny… Not long ago, being several feet above the ground was enough to make her dizzy. Now she was flying in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing, save for the clouds above and the ocean below. Then, amid this expanse of water, a human-made construction emerged, and she halted to a hover and waited until it opened. A facility built under the ocean… This wasn't a place that could have been built overnight. The government must have been at it for a while. Between flying cities and people with a dormant alien gene gaining superpowers, it was expected.

Ross was here, waiting for her, with two guards. Because of Sokovia, the whole world now knew she had a suit.

"What's this place?"

"We call it the Raft. It's designed as a prison, for people like you."

"Me? And here I thought we were becoming friends." If she had been lured into a trap… It would be bad. Really, really bad. "Besides, I'm just a regular human. Not an enhanced."

In response, he glanced at the suit behind her.

"How else did you expect me to get here?"

"No need to get defensive. I'm merely giving you a headstart. Consider it a gesture of good faith. Come, follow me."

He led her into another section, where the cells were. Empty cells, waiting for their prisoners. "Who is this place for, really?"

"You and I are not the only ones who are concerned." He led him out of this part, into an office. "Take a seat."

Ana did.

"People are afraid, and the United Nations—finally—decided to do something about it. You're a smart girl. I don't have to tell you what you're about to see is strictly confidential." He unlocked a safe, took out a file and tossed it at her.

_Sokovia Accords_

"This is quite a thick booklet…"

"It's going to get even thicker. This is just the first draft."

_Shit._ "What do you want me to do with this?"

"I want you to sign it. You, your father, the other Avengers, Inhumans… All of them."

"There's no need for this. I was in Sokovia because it was… personal. You won't be seeing me fly in a suit again. And my dad has retired."

He chuckled. "So have I. And yet, here we are… You're not here because you're a concerned citizen. You want something else. What is it?"

"I want to see Wanda Maximoff in one of those cells you just showed me. She's a terrorist, or worse, a weapon, created by HYDRA. Everyone seems to have forgotten that just because she has a pretty face and a dead brother."

"The Accords will happen. With or without your cooperation. You don't have to fear it, though. People like you know how to navigate the turning tides. I might even be able to help you."

"On what condition?"

"I want you to convince your father to sign the Accords. And support them. Publicly."

Ana thought about the Senate hearing that was 6 years ago. This wasn't going to be easy, but it wasn't impossible either. "I can do it. But what if Maximoff agrees to sign as well?"

"In that case, there will be many laws she's not supposed to violate. I'm sure you can… _improvise_."

"I see. But I have conditions of my own."

"I just said I'd help you put the Maximoff girl into one of those cells. What else do you want?"

"My vendetta against her is personal, but I still have to consider the greater good. Are you familiar with my… history?"

"What history?"

"When I was a baby, I was brought to my father by an Asgardian. A SHIELD Consultant. She doesn't live here anymore, but we've been in contact. She's been training me, helping me learn more about alien civilizations. We're becoming a part of a bigger universe. The people who will oversee the Avengers and the other enhanced individuals, will they be able to keep up? Or will they cling to the rules of the old world and desperately hope things to go back to the way they were?"

"We know what we're doing."

"Really? Because I remember, after New York, presenting a proposal to the UN."

"I remember, too… You wanted some alien currency to be recognized."

"And people laughed at my face. It was quite humiliating, but that's the least of my concerns."

"Maybe we can use you as a consultant, but I can't make any promises."

This wasn't such a bad start. "There's one last thing. When the Accords become a thing, I want immunity for three people."

"Three people? That's a lot to ask."

"You're asking me to manipulate my father into becoming a puppet, to take advantage of his trust in me. Of course it's going to cost you."

"Who?"

"My father himself, as you can guess. Colonel Rhodes. And…" She paused. _Daisy Johnson_, she wanted to say, but that would also put her under Ross' radar. The government didn't know about Daisy yet, and Ana wanted to keep it that way.

"And?"

"I haven't decided yet. But I want a slot for a third person, just in case. Give me your word, and I'll make sure my father cooperates."

"Fine. We have a deal."

"Good. Then we're done here."

"You remind me of him, you know."

"My dad?"

"Howard."

"Oh."

"Relax, it's a compliment. You're a young lady who's got her priorities right. If he were here, he'd be proud of you."

As she flew out of the Raft, there was an uneasy feeling in Ana's stomach. She tried to ignore it, reminding herself of the fact that at least the meeting had gone well. Dealing with Thaddeus Ross was easier than seducing an android.


	47. Chapter 47

"Daisy? What are you doing here?"

Daisy tried to smile. Lincoln must have come to check up on her. "Waiting for our guest."

"I didn't know we were expecting anyone else today."

"Yeah, no one does…" Daisy hadn't told the team what she had done. They weren't going to be happy when they found out. She wasn't sure how Lincoln would react.

"Daisy? What's going on? Come on, you can tell me."

"I called Ana."

"Who?"

Right, he didn't know… "Ana Stark."

A smile played about his lips for a moment, then he burst into a chortle at last. "You have the number of the Stark heiress, and you just called her?"

"She's on my speed dial, actually."

"Wait… You're not kidding."

"Nope." His reaction was a bit amusing.

"How did that happen?"

"We met in Malta, during one of my earliest missions. She's a good friend."

"So, what's the problem? The others don't like her?"

"No, we like her. We just don't want her anywhere near an alien artifact, because, you know, Ultron… After Simmons got sucked into the Monolith, Fitz wanted to tell Ana. He said he could use her help. Coulson didn't let him. He didn't want the Starks to find out about the Monolith."

He nodded in understanding. "And now, you called her…"

"I had to, Lincoln! Unlike Fitz, she thinks she can change the future. Even turn Charles' powers off."

Earlier today, in New York, Daisy had met an Inhuman who could show people the future. She had touched him just before he had been taken by HYDRA, and was still shaken from the experience. But she had told the team what she had seen. Every single detail she could remember. Fitz believed what she saw was inevitable and would come to pass no matter what they did.

Then they had brought Charles Hinton's wife, Polly, in, and she had said every vision they had seen had come true. No matter what they did, they hadn't been able to prevent the deaths. That was Charles' power: Whenever someone touched him, both he and that someone saw an impending death. He had had to leave his home, his wife, his little girl, because he couldn't touch them anymore. Ana had said she could help him.

"With an Inhuman inhibitor?" Lincoln didn't sound very happy about it. Daisy understood. Having been hunt down like an animal by SHIELD, HYDRA, and then the Lash, Lincoln had trust issues.

"I don't know. You can ask her yourself. Don't worry, though. After I went through Terrigenesis, she was one of the few people who wasn't freaked out. She respects us, says we're the next step of human evolution. Be nice to her. Please, for me."

He shrugged. "Well, I'm willing to work with anyone who's up for saving some lives tonight."

_She is willing, but she has a price._ Ana wanted a vision from Charles in return. She thought she was playing a cosmic chess game with an alien warlord that might, or might not exist, and this was a part of her plan. But Daisy really wanted to help Charles, so she had agreed to Ana's terms.

Lincoln wrapped an arm around her waist, and she leaned closer to him, grateful for the support. He was trying really hard to be a SHIELD agent, and he was doing it for her, to be a part of her world. Daisy couldn't imagine what losing him would be like. It was happening to everyone around her these days. May had lost Andrew, Coulson had lost Rosalind Price, Ana had lost JARVIS. Fitz would have lost Jemma if they hadn't been able to open a portal to another planet.

More minutes passed, and they saw a shiny dot in the sky. It grew bigger and bigger, until it turned into a blue Iron Man suit with bronze linings. Of course, technically, it wasn't Iron Man, but…

Ana landed, and the helmet retracted into the suit, revealing her smiling face. She and Daisy hugged each other. Then Daisy introduced her to Lincoln. They shook hands politely. Thankfully, Ana pretended like she hadn't heard much of him before, but as they followed him back into the base, she gave Daisy a quick wink and a thumbs-up. She was in a good mood.

May was there when they entered the lab. And she definitely wasn't happy. Well, at least Fitz-Simmons were.

"Ana!" Simmons exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, guys. Long time no see. What's up?"

They hugged her, too, probably to show off this friendship to the other scientists, who seemed star-struck. In this new SHIELD, celebrities were a rare sight.

"Daisy… What have you done?" May asked suspiciously.

_Here we go…_

"What I had to do, okay? We had a genius who didn't believe the future could be changed, now we have another one who does. Let them figure it out."

"B—but Ana doesn't think the future can be changed," Fitz broke in. "If you'd read her research, you'd know—"

Ana said, "Fitz, I was 16 when I wrote that research. I made mistakes. Now I'm trying to prove the multiverse theory true. That's why I asked Daisy to let me know if she encountered anyone with foresight. If I manage to prevent her vision from happening, we'll know there's more than one timeline."

"That's good to hear."

Everyone turned to Coulson, who was standing at the doorway. He went on, "But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you work on Mr. Hinton's case. Daisy shouldn't have called you. You're not a SHIELD agent. You're here to pursue your own interests, whatever they might be."

After this, Ana's face changed. She turned into that ruthless corporate bitch people saw on TV. Daisy wasn't a big fan of that version of her, but she knew that wasn't the real Ana Stark.

"I can help Charles. I can give him a chance to go back to his old life."

"How?"

"With an implant."

"You have anti-Inhuman tech?" Like Lincoln, Coulson sounded concerned, even though he wasn't an Inhuman himself. Daisy knew he was worried not just for the safety of Inhumans in general, but also for _her_ safety in particular. He had always been protective of Daisy.

"I'd never invent something that could be used against Daisy, if that's what you're implying." As always, Ana was blunt. "When it comes to foresight, what you call a gift, is technically a glitch. Fitz said time is an illusion, right? Foresight is a temporary glitch in that illusion. I can stop those glitches for Charles Hinton."

"Very well. You can give your designs to Fitz, I'm sure he can take it from there."

"Look, Coulson, I know we go way back, but I don't work for free. And my price is a vision from Charles. Take it or leave it."

Coulson thought for a minute. His eyes lingered on May, and then Daisy herself. May's face remained impassive, but he could tell when she approved or disapproved something. Daisy, of course, nodded. "Very well. But I'll be the one calling the shots."

"Fair enough."

Coulson walked away, and May went after him. Daisy was relieved. Coulson was really… uptight recently. But at least he hadn't snapped at her for going behind his back and secretly inviting Ana to the base.

"Is that an Einstein-Rosen bridge?" Ana suddenly gasped, looking at something on Fitz's desk.

Fitz scratched his head nervously, and made a hasty attempt to clear his desk out. "If you need a work station, you can use mine."

Damn it, the Monolith… It must have been something about the Monolith that was on Fitz's holotable.

"Wait, what are you guys hiding from me?"

"Let's just focus on the—" Daisy started, but Fitz cut him off.

"Or, let's just tell her. Let's just tell her I could've used her help, too. Maybe I should've taken a page from your book and just disobey Coulson's orders!"

Fitz was pissed, and he had every right to be so. Daisy understood Fitz's anger. He thought she was a hypocrite. He wasn't wrong.

"Why did you need my help, Fitz? And why didn't you just come to me? I would've done anything I could. You know that."

"Coulson didn't let me."

"Why not?"

He told her everything. How Simmons had spent six months on Maveth, how they had got her back, how the Monolith was connected to HYDRA… Ana seemed equally offended by the time he was finished. "So, Coulson would rather let Jemma die on an alien planet than ask for my help… Wow. I'll have a word with him before I'm done here."

"Can you blame him after Sokovia?" Daisy asked sharply. "He didn't want you or Tony to get your hands on the Monolith! And I called you here today, because at least this case involves no dangerous alien artifacts."

"I told you, Ultron wasn't his fault!"

"Even if he was being mind-controlled, you weren't. But you helped him anyway."

"I helped him because this world needed an AI to protect us!"

"You can't know that!"

"Actually, I can. What do you know about Kree, the race that experimented on your ancestors?"

"What do they have to do with—"

"They're ruled by an AI," Lincoln said. "Their leader, the Supreme Intelligence. It's an AI… It was in one of Jiaying's books."

Daisy gave him a _"Whose side are you on?"_ look. Lincoln shrugged.

Ana nodded in approval. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. That's what makes them so powerful, so advanced. Things have to change around here if we want to keep up."

"So, your solution is to create some 1984-esque, dystopian future? I can't believe you're the same girl I trusted with the gravitonium once!"

"I'm trying to stop the dystopian future! You, of all people, should understand, Daisy! You were almost going to be kidnapped by an Asgardian!"

"What?" Lincoln cried. Daisy could swear she had seen sparks around his fingers. Shit. Ana did know how to push people's buttons.

"Didn't she tell you? An Asgardian warrior wanted to take her to Asgard when she found out Daisy is an Inhuman."

"It was before I met you," Daisy told Lincoln quickly, before he lost his temper completely. "And it was no big deal. Coulson talked Sif out of it."

"He didn't _talk_ her out of it! She chose to show you mercy. Who could've stopped her if she hadn't? I, for one, don't like the idea of being at an alien's mercy. Do you?"

Daisy looked at Lincoln, but he seemed to be on the same page with Ana. Fitz nodded, too. "The world is changing. And change is painful. Extreme measures need to be taken sometimes."

She wasn't surprised to hear that. Fitz was nice and all, but he had a dark side like this. This was the guy who had once said he hoped Bruce Banner would never find a cure, because the world needed the Hulk. Maybe it was just a genius-engineer thing. They couldn't help themselves. And Lincoln was just scared for his girlfriend.

"Why don't we just focus on the mission ahead?" Simmons said, probably to break the tension in the room. "Ana, you might need your suit tonight, so maybe you let it charge while you work on this implant for Charles Hinton?"

"Okay. Where can I charge the suit?"

"Oh, you're going to love this!" Simmons took Ana's hand and dragged her to a small, square platform in a corner. "Fitz made this charging station for you. In case, you know, you join us for a mission one day."

"Wow… Thanks, guys." Ana stepped on the platform, got out of the suit and left it there to be charged. Daisy stormed out of the lab. She needed a minute alone.

* * *

To Daisy's surprise, Ana came to her room to apologize. She seemed a lot calmer now.

"I'm sorry things got heated back there."

Daisy had calmed down, too. "Don't worry, it happens all the time around here… So, how is changing the future coming along?"

"The implant is ready. Fitz is still trying to locate the building you saw in your vision. I'm going to help him, but first, I gotta ask you something. If you want me to change the future, I have to know… Are you _sure_ I wasn't in the vision?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"But there was a fire?"

"Yes."

"What about lightning? Was there any lightning?"

"I don't think it was Lincoln who started that fire. He wasn't there either."

She thought for a moment, then said, "Damn, this wasn't supposed to get personal…"

"What are you talking about?"

"I talked to Coulson, found out why he didn't want me on this mission. Turns out he might be right… Why didn't you tell me it was Gideon Malick who kidnapped Charles?"

"It was HYDRA who kidnapped Charles. Does it matter who's in charge?"

"It does matter, Daisy! Malick was on the World Security Council… at the time of the Chitauri invasion. The nuke they sent, that was on him."

"Oh." Daisy understood now. Ana blamed Malick for Tony's PTSD. Daisy was a bit embarrassed now, because normally, she wouldn't overlook such details. There was a reason she was a damn good hacker. She was good at seeing patterns. But today, she was too desperate to save a man's life, and that had got her distracted.

"I might have disregarded your safety for personal vendetta. The fire you saw, what if I started it while chasing Malick around? It's a possibility I can't dismiss. Coulson and I have agreed that I should stay here. Sorry, but our epic team-up moment is going to have to wait."

"Well, Coulson won't let me leave the base either. He's sending May instead. You and I are both stuck here."

"I think _you_ will be out there tonight, one way or the other."

"I hope so. Lincoln says our powers aren't random. That they're given to us for a reason. I believe I'm meant to save Charles."

They were interrupted when May came in. "You still think you should be going," she said.

"I know I can do it."

"And you think_ I_ can't?"

"I have an advantage."

"I can't cause earthquakes, but I'm faster than you."

"Foresight. I know what's coming."

"Then get off your ass, and show me."

So, May wanted to replace her? She looked at Ana, but Ana simply shrugged, and left to help Fitz. She knew better than arguing with May. Daisy described the scene in the security office, every single detail she remembered to May, who then quickly assembled a team. They practiced, again and again, until May managed to finish the fight sooner than it was supposed to end, and buy herself some time to get to Charles before it was too late.

"That was pretty damn good," Daisy commented, looking at the stopwatch.

An agent entered. "Sir, we found the building."

They went to take a look. Indeed, it was the building. "That's it."

"And shocker the only way in is the security office on the ground floor," Lincoln said.

"Transia Corporation. I know of it, but why would Malick want from them?" Coulson asked.

"I used their nerve-wiring interface in your hand, sir. It's cutting-edge, to say the least," Fitz explained.

"Okay, this is getting crazy," Simmons said.

"It's been crazy." May was already on the move. The rest followed her.

"Alright, May. Surgical strike. And we agreed, no comms on this," Coulson reminded.

"HYDRA would be listening," May agreed.

"And know we're coming if they have a fortuneteller on hand."

Daisy added, "If you see Charles, do not go up to the roof, even if—"

The alarms suddenly went off, and the front gate opened. It was Andrew, hands behind his head, surrounded by agents.

"He just walked in, sir. He surrendered himself over."

"Why?" May asked.

"Lash is taking over. I'm about to turn for the last time, May. I came to say goodbye."

It looked like May wasn't going anywhere tonight.

* * *

Daisy entered the Transia Corporation building, leaned against the wall, closed her eyes and took a deep breath to focus before opening the door to the security office. She knew how the scene would play out.

One man when she barged in. Take his gun, shoot the second one coming to his help. Shoot the first one again. Then the third. The fourth one had a knife at his belt. Grab the knife after he was down, and throw it at the fifth one before he could press the alarm button… No, no time for that. She had to use her powers to knock him down instead.

But the alarms went off anyway.

_Shit_. She looked around. She must have missed something. She turned, and…

"One-way mirror…"

She saw Coulson's reflection, pointing a gun. When she had had that vision, she had thought the gun was pointed at her, but he was actually shooting at the guy behind the mirror.

"Guess it's a good thing I was here," he said.

"How did you know that—"

"We've been monitoring the security feed. By the way, your chances of not going up to the roof just evaporated. HYDRA is already taking Charles there now. Get moving."

"Okay… Wait, what are you going to do?"

"Find Grant Ward."

_What the hell?_ Ward had died on Maveth. Coulson had killed him. There was no way he could come back.

"Yeah, day got weirder."

Whatever that was about, she could find out later. She took off, and ran up to the stairs. So far, she hadn't been able to change a thing. Not even the slightest detail.

By the time she reached the roof, they were taking Charles to a helicopter. She could still save him. But a blow came out of nowhere when she was about to intervene. She found herself lying on the floor, coughing blood. It was Malick, wearing some kind of harness on his chest and arms. Trying to get up, she shot a shockwave from her hand, but he dodged it. The wave hit the billboard that emitted a blinding white light instead, starting a fire.

He grabbed her by the collar and punched her in the face. Twice.

So, this was why he was he was here. To use the Transia Corporation tech to build himself cybernetics.

She had to get up. She had to get to Charles. She was meant to save him.

"Power's intoxicating, isn't it? He's right. Never really feel it, until you take someone else's life from them."

Who was _he_? Ward?

Another punch. Damn, she could definitely use someone with an armored suit right now. Maybe the whole thing was a self-fulfilling prophecy. Maybe they weren't going to die because of Ana's involvement, but its lack thereof.

"Time to say goodbye," Malick said, circling her, like a predator circling its prey. Daisy saw him clench his fist, and hear the mechanical sound the harness made. Only then, it occurred to Daisy that maybe she had seen her own death, not Charles'. He was preparing to deliver the final blow. She closed her eyes.

But the blow didn't come.

When she looked again, Charles was touching Malick. Whatever it was he showed him, it must have terrified Malick. He turned to Charles this time, his face twisted in fury. And then, a blue light suddenly flashed before her eyes. Like a lightning field, but it wasn't like Lincoln's powers. More like Gordon's, but that couldn't be possible. Gordon was dead.

It turned out, you didn't have to be an Inhuman to be a teleporter. Ana had appeared right before Malick, stopped him before he could grab at Charles, and pushed him towards the helicopter, probably hoping the propeller would shred him to pieces, but Malick managed to hold onto a pipe before that happened.

"Come on, Daisy, get up! We gotta go!"

"Can't you just shoot him into oblivion?" Knowing Ana, she would love to do that. Why was she hesitating?

"I can't. I'm running on the emergency back-up power. I barely got enough juice to get you guys out of here."

"Wait, is this why you were asking me about the lightning earlier?"

Funny, even though she was in too much pain to think clearly, such specific details were still coming back to her clouded mind. Did this mean the future had just changed? That nobody was dying tonight? But Ana didn't have time to answer, because Malick was now running towards them.

Ana grabbed her by the wrist with one hand, and Charles with the other, and they took off. Daisy could see Malick moving his arms around in rage as they flew away from the roof. Strangely enough, she felt like his anger was aimed at Daisy, not Ana, even though it was the latter who had almost killed him.

They landed on the ground, where Fitz-Simmons were standing, their mouths agape. It looked like it was snowing, just like in the vision, but it wasn't snow. It was ash, from the burning billboard on the top of the building. A second after Ana let go of Daisy and Charles, the blue glow of the Arc Reactor faded, and the suit opened up.

"You okay?" Ana asked her.

"I'm not dead." Though she was far from okay.

"Sorry, I should've come sooner."

"What happened up there?" Fitz asked.

Ana looked at Daisy, then Fitz, and smiled in triumph, like a general who had just conquered time itself. "I just proved the multiverse theory right."

* * *

"I have to be honest, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic right now," Coulson said, looking at Ana's dead suit. They were flying back to the base on Zephyr One. Daisy wasn't the only one who had been hurt badly; Simmons was now tending to Lincoln's injuries. Fitz was questioning Ana about her teleportation technology and the multiverse theory, which was a conversation Daisy could hardly follow. Charles was sitting in a corner, away from everyone. She was dying to tell him that he could be reunited with his family.

For now, she smiled for Coulson. He was just trying to cheer her up. He hated to see her hurt.

"You wouldn't have to, if you'd taken my dad's offer," Ana teased him.

"Thanks, but nostalgia is fine… Couldn't you have saved Daisy sooner, though?"

"Believe me, Coulson, I didn't enjoy watching Malick beat the hell out of her either. But I haven't been able to optimize the teleportation technology yet. Once I use it, it drains the Arc Reactor. And I had to do something _no one_ expected. It was the only way."

Daisy now felt good enough to move around, so she limped to Charles' side. He flinched when he saw her approach.

"No, please don't touch me!"

"It's okay. I'm not going to touch you. I just want to talk." She sat down beside him, but kept some distance. "Your wife said you see the visions, too."

"Polly?" he gasped.

"Yeah, she's at the base, waiting for you."

He started shaking his head frantically. "I can't… I can't go back to my family. I hurt them."

"There might be a way for you."

"L-like a cure?"

"Something like that. My friend over there thinks she can give you an on and off switch. You won't have to use your powers unless you want to. Would you like that?"

He beamed at her, nodding like crazy. "Of course! Of course! Whatever it takes to hold my little girl in my arms again!"

She smiled at him, then realized she hadn't even properly introduced herself. "I'm Daisy, by the way. Daisy Johnson." She was going to offer her hand, but then realized Charles couldn't hold it yet.

"Charles Hinton."

"Nice to officially meet you, Charles."

He looked around him timidly, then his gaze focused on Daisy again, and he asked, "Is it true, what they say about us? Are we aliens?"

She sighed. This was often the hardest part. "Partially. We do have an alien gene. We come from a line of people aliens experimented on. That was a long time ago, though. They're not coming back for us."

His eyes clouded with worry upon hearing that. "Does that mean my daughter…"

"It is possible. She doesn't have to go through the Terrigenesis if she doesn't want to. Some descendants believe it is their birthright, others want no part in it.""

"I want her to have a normal childhood. And when she grows up… I don't know. Is there a way to know what she…"

"Will become? No."

He nodded gravely.

"She's lucky to have you." At least Robin was going to get to grow up with her father… hopefully.

* * *

A few hours later after they returned to the base, Charles Hinton had almost returned to his old life. He had shaved, cleaned up, and was waiting in the lab with Polly to get his implant.

"Are you sure about this?" Daisy asked Ana.

"Yeah, it's going to work."

"That's not what I'm talking about. I know what Charles' visions feel like. They're… intense."

"I'm prepared."

"I don't know what you're about to see, but you might have to live with it for a long time. And it might not even be what you're looking for."

"Okay, here's another theory: Your boyfriend thinks the powers are not random, right? That they fulfill a need in the Inhuman community?"

"Yes?"

"And there were no Inhumans with foresight in your mom's records, until Raina. No prophets for thousands of years, and after New York, there was suddenly Raina, and now there's Charles!"

"You think this is some kind of warning?"

"I think it's pretty obvious."

Daisy shook her head. "You and your damn theories, Ana…"

"Tell me if you think I'm wrong."

"You're not wrong. Just crazy. What if Charles shows you just an irrelevant death? Something that has nothing to do with aliens?"

"He won't," she said with a bold smile, as if she had already seen the future. _"Power is intoxicating, isn't it?"_ Gideon Malick had asked, and now it was the same kind of intoxication Daisy saw on her friend's face. She seemed drunk. Not with booze, but with the promise of more power.

"Ana, you're becoming overconfident. I'm scared for you."

"Tonight, I found out I have the power to change the future! And it wasn't with superpowers, or mysterious alien artifacts, no… I did it with good old science. Do you realize how rare that is these days?"

"Come on, let's not keep the Hintons waiting."

"Before we go, there's one last thing."

"Yeah?"

"You do care about Lincoln, don't you?"

She was sure of her feelings for him now, so she didn't hesitate to say yes.

"In that case, there's something you should know: Something is about to happen, Daisy. People are scared, and the governments are pressured to give them a kind of reassurance."

"ATCU—"

"This won't be anything like the ATCU. The UN is involved, but that's all I can tell you for now. When it happens, if you and Lincoln go against it, I can protect only one of you."

Daisy had understood what was going on. Partially. She groaned. "Gosh, Ana don't tell me you made a shady deal with some big-wig!"

"Of course I made a shady deal with some big-wig! That's how you survive in my world! Can't you just thank me for the heads-up?"

"No! I'm not going to thank you until you tell me what exactly you got yourself into!"

Ana just shook her head in response and stormed out of the room, putting an abrupt end to this discussion on her own terms. That was the thing with Ana: She always wanted everything to happen on her own terms.

They went to join the others in the lab. Charles and Polly looked at Ana expectantly, like she was some goddess they had prayed for help and now their prayers were about to be answered. Ana smiled at them.

"Okay. So, I know Daisy told you about a switch, but it's actually a subdermal implant," she said, opening a box and showing the small chip inside. "Dr. Simmons will place it right behind your cerebellum, then I'll take it from there." She passed the case to Jemma.

Charles seemed a bit uncomfortable watching her put the chip into an injector. "This is going to take less than a second," Jemma assured him. She knew how to calm down her patients.

After she injected him in the back of his neck first, and then in his left forearm, Ana started the calibration process using a wireless connection. This part Daisy could understand.

"Could someone hack into this chip?" she asked her.

"I'd like to see them try."

Sometimes Ana was worse than her father.

"Synching with your neural network, aaand, done! I'm going to ask you to check out your left inner wrist."

Charles did. Indeed, there was a small, glowing touch screen in his inner wrist. It was just a simple on-off slider. He laughed, and turned it off. Then he looked around, like he was unsure about with whom he should test it.

Polly extended her hand. "It's okay, Charles."

Slowly, Charles touched her hand with a finger. Everyone in the room was holding their breath. When the couple started laughing, they began to clap.

Charles and Polly hugged, kissed, and finally turned to Ana.

"Thank you, Ms. Stark," they said. "Thank you so much for this."

"I'm just glad I could help. And call me Ana."

Charles turned to Daisy this time. "None of it would be possible if you hadn't come for me. Thank you."

"This is what we do."

Soon, everyone returned to their tasks. Daisy decided to see Ana and the Hintons off. They were going to return to New York together. Hell, Ana had summoned one of the fancy Stark jets just to give them a ride. She was probably going to ask for the "payment" on the way to New York. The Starks hadn't earned their fortune by handing out favors for free, after all. Still, Daisy would like to believe Ana would have helped Charles even if she didn't need anything from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick note for those who watch AoS: Because Charles Hinton didn't get killed by Malick, and returned to his family instead, Robin won't get her powers. Therefore, she won't be able to foresee the destruction of Earth and the Chronicoms won't intervene to prevent it, so this chapter was kind of important to explain that. As for whose death Ana was shown, I won't reveal it immediately, sorry :) Stay safe, guys!


	48. Chapter 48

"_Change of plans. I won't be able to make it."_

Tony didn't know why he was torturing himself by reading the text from Pepper again and again. After Sokovia, the PR department had said he needed to do some charity work, so he had started the September Foundation, and today, he was going to announce it at MIT. Pepper had agreed to join him; not as his girlfriend, but as the CEO of Stark Industries. Tony had had hope. Maybe, just maybe, if he did something nice for her after the presentation, she would be willing to give him one last chance. One last chance, that was all he asked. But now, she wasn't coming at all.

"Come on, Dad, we're going to be late."

Confused, Tony finally tore his eyes from the screen. Ana was wearing a black business dress, a pair of stilettos, and she had a full make-up on. This was weird, because she had made it clear that she wasn't going to join him. "You coming?"

"Happy said Potts has canceled. There's no reason for me not to come."

_Potts_. That's what she called Pepper now, if she had to mention her at all. How could she do it? How could she act like Pepper was nothing but a stranger to her, to both of them? Tony used to think his daughter was a little angel. He still thought she was an angel, only a much more ruthless, unforgiving one. An angel with his mom's face and his dad's severity. An angel from Tony's personal hell.

"What?" she asked with an ice-cold nonchalance.

"Nothing…"

She snatched the phone from his hands, frowning. "She's made her choice, Dad. If she wasn't willing to be there when you needed her the most, she doesn't deserve you at all. Her loss."

It was the other way around, actually. He was the one who didn't deserve her. But telling this to Ana wasn't a good idea.

"Come on. It's going to be fun. I missed our trips to MIT."

He tried to smile and let her lead him out of the house, for he, too, had missed those trips. Or, anything about those simpler times, really.

Happy was waiting by the car outside. On the way to the airport, he tried to shake the uneasy feeling in his stomach, focus on all those students he was about to make very, very happy, or even Ana instead, but it was impossible. The fact that he might have to live the rest of his life without Pepper was gnawing at his mind, hollowing him out.

Happy and Ana had been observing him quietly the whole time. Once they were in the air, Ana asked, "So, what do you want to do after the presentation? How about lunch?"

"Yeah, sure," he mumbled idly. "Lunch sounds great."

Her smile vanished. "Okay, never mind."

_Damn it._ "I'm sorry, kid. I'm trying…"

"You're not trying hard enough, Dad. Tell me, when was she hired by you?"

"In 2000." He still remembered the day he had met her. From the moment he had laid eyes on Pepper, he had known she was special.

"That means for the first thirty years of your life, you did just fine without her. You can do it again. No one is irrevocable. And the truth is, she was nothing before you made her Pepper Potts. Just a nobody. Now she runs _our _company. The one that has _our_ name outside the buildings. She got what she wanted from you, and left. Because she no longer needs us." She turned to Happy, who seemed as appalled as Tony, and added viciously, "That's right, Happy. I just called Potts a gold-digger. Go ahead, let her know."

If Tony didn't know Ana well enough, he might actually believe she meant every word. "It's okay, Ana."

"Yeah, it's okay. That's what I've been trying to tell you for—"

"It's okay to _care_."

She snorted. "What makes you think I care?"

"You wouldn't be so angry if you didn't."

He was expecting another outburst, but to his surprise, her face softened and she took his hand. "I know it's not easy to process, Dad. She fooled me, too. For a time. Then, I opened my eyes and saw the ugly truth. Why she _really _left."

_We both know why she really left_, he wanted to say, but again, kept his thoughts to himself. Ana would choose to believe what she wanted to believe. What was easier to believe. That was how she coped with it. If only his coping mechanisms were as effective.

* * *

By the time they entered the conference hall, a group of technicians had already started setting up the BARF equipment according to Tony's instructions. He took a look around to make sure everything was being done right. This was a new technology.

"Dad, are you sure about this?" Ana whispered. "I mean, revealing such a personal memory to people…"

"It's just some college students. What's the harm?"

"Well, at least this time we'll be funding a decent bunch for a change," she said casually, but with a hint of complaint in her voice. Tony knew she hated the fact that he still funded the Avengers, even though she knew why he had to do it. The world needed the Avengers, and if he didn't give them the money, who would?

"Honey, do you really want to do this right now?"

She smiled sweetly, and took his arm. "Of course not. Everything looks good here. Come on."

They went to the backstage, arm in arm. Someone started preparing them for the presentation at once. Soon, they could hear the collective murmur of the students filling the hall.

Eventually, a guy said, "Whenever you're ready, Mr. Stark."

He put on the BARF glasses. Ana shot him one last concerned, disapproving glance, but didn't say anything.

"How do I look?"

"Like the most handsome man in the world," she replied, smoothing his blazer.

He winked at her, and then it started. Tony's last moments with his parents.

His dad was preparing to leave the house, his mom was singing and playing the piano while waiting for him. Tony was back from Cambridge for Christmas, lying on the couch, covering his eyes with a blanket because the room was too bright for his taste.

His dad lifted the blanket.

"Wake up dear, and say goodbye to your father."

"Who's the homeless person on the couch?"

He got off the couch. "This is why I love coming home for Christmas, right before you leave town."

"Be nice, dear, he's been studying abroad."

"Really? Which broad? What's her name?"

"Candice." Thank goodness Ana didn't know Candice was Irene's best friend. The one Tony had cheated her with. Ana had never asked for the details, and he had never said anything.

"Do me a favor? Try not to burn the house down before Monday."

"Okay, so it's Monday. That is good to know, I will plan my toga party accordingly. Where are you going?"

"Your father's flying us to the Bahamas for a little getaway."

"We might have to make a quick stop."

"At the Pentagon. Right? Don't worry, you're gonna love the holiday menu at the commissary."

"You know, they say sarcasm is a metric for potential. If that's true, you'll be a great man someday… I'll get the bags."

He leaned against the wall, crossed his arms stubbornly, and started waiting for their departure.

His mom stopped playing. "He does miss you when you're not here. And frankly, you're going to miss us. Because this is the last time we're all going to be together. You know what's about to happen. Say something. If you don't, you'll regret it."

He turned to his dad."I love you, Dad. And I know you did the best you could."

She kissed Tony on the cheek, and then they walked out of the house, to their deaths. End of the memory.

"That's how it should've happened. Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing, or BARF. God, I gotta work on that acronym… An extremely costly method of hijacking the hippocampus to clear traumatic memories."

He tried to see if he could blow out the virtual candle on the piano. It was going to need a few upgrades.

"It doesn't change the fact that they never made it to the airport, or all the things I did to avoid processing my grief. Plus, six hundred and eleven million dollars for my little therapeutic experiment, no one in their right mind would've ever funded it. Help me out, what's the MIT mission statement? To generate, disseminate and preserve knowledge. And work with others. To bring it to bear on the world's great challenges. Well, you are the others. And, quiet as it's kept, the challenges facing you are the greatest mankind's ever known. Plus, most of you are broke."

They laughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Rather, you were. As of this moment, every student has been made an equal recipient of the inaugural September Foundation Grant. As in all of your projects have just been approved and funded. No strings, no taxes, just reframe the future! Starting now."

Then he looked at the prompter. This was the part where he was supposed to introduce Pepper. They hadn't changed it. Well, at least his daughter hadn't left him alone. It helped, to know that she was somewhere in the backstage, waiting for her cue.

"Now, I'd like to present another MIT alum. My daughter, and my greatest creation: Ana Stark."

Ana walked into the stage with her usual fake confidence and fake smile. "Thanks, Dad. I missed being here as much as you did, but I'm afraid my presentation is going to be terribly boring compared to yours."

People laughed again. This was the most intimate bit of her speech. The rest was about the rules. Tony had said all projects had been approved, but there were still deadlines and plagiarism policies. Ana explained them briefly, then turned to him for help to wrap things up.

"That's all, everyone. Now go break some eggs."

They returned to the backstage. There was this bald guy staring at him and applauding like crazy. That was never a good sign. "That, uhm, that took my breath away. Tony, so generous. So much money. Wow! Out of curiosity, will any portion of that grant will be made available to faculty? Ugh, gross, I know, but hear me out."

"Didn't I just said it's only available to undergraduate and graduate students?" Ana snapped, and it was enough to make him shut up and scurry away. She was no longer bothering with even a fake smile.

Then, an assistant approached them. "Mr. Stark, I'm so sorry about the teleprompter. I—"

"You idiots had one job!" Ana scolded her, fuming. "One job!"

"I know Ms. Stark, but Ms. Potts canceled at the last minute, and—"

"I don't care."

Tony put a hand on her shoulder. "Ana, it's okay."

"No, it's not!" She looked at the poor girl again. "Tell me, was it an accident, or did someone do it on purpose?"

The assistant frowned in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

"You're all fired!"

A look of fear crossed her face.

"No one's fired, don't worry," Tony assured her, then led Ana out to the hallway, where they could speak in private. "Kid, what the hell was that? I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're embarrassing me."

"I'm just watching your back."

"And I'm trying to make sure you're not going crazy. Maybe I made a mistake. Maybe you weren't ready to go back to the world."

She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. When I saw Potts' name on the teleprompter… You're right, I overreacted."

At least her apology was genuine. Tony had got used to these constant mood swings. These days, she was constantly vacillating between compassion and cruelty, calmness and agitation, enthusiasm and apathy. One moment, she was the sweetest girl ever, the next, she was acting like a lunatic. Yeah, she had been a ticking time bomb ever since JARVIS' death, but that bomb was ticking a lot faster now. Something had changed, but he had no idea what it was. She wasn't telling him. And Tony couldn't find it himself either, no matter how hard he looked. The only thing he could do was to remind her that she could share anything with him.

He pulled her into a quick hug. "Everything's going to be okay."

"I need to use the bathroom."

"Okay. I'll be waiting over there, by the elevator."

Ana went into the bathroom, and Tony to the elevator. He could feel the gaze of the woman standing over there on himself. He approached, wondering what this one wanted.

"That was nice, what you did for those young people," she started.

"Ah, they deserve it. Plus, it helps ease my conscience."

"They say there's a correlation between generosity and guilt. But you got the money. Break as many eggs as you like. Right?"

This was getting suspicious. He looked at the elevator button, and realized she hadn't called it. She had been waiting for him, then, not the elevator. He pressed the button, hoping whatever this was, it would be over before Ana returned. "Are you going up?"

"I'm right where I want to be." Her hand went to her purse.

"Okay, okay, hey!" Instinctively, he stopped her. But when he looked at her face again, it wasn't the face of a killer. She just had something to say. He released her hand. "Sorry, it's occupational hazard."

"I work for the State Department. Human Resources. I know it's boring. But, it enabled me to raise a son. I'm very proud of what he grew up to be." She slammed something she had taken from her bag on his chest. He looked. A picture, of a young man.

"His name was Charlie Spencer. You murdered him. In Sokovia. Not that it matters in the least to you. You think you fight for us? You just fight for yourself. Who's going to avenge my son, Stark? He's dead. And I blame you."

He didn't know what to say. _Sorry_? He was sorry. He really was. But this woman was living with what was his greatest fear: Losing your kid. He could hear the pain of it in her voice. What could he possibly say that would ease her pain? There was nothing that could be said.

"Hey!" Ana's angry voice and hasty footsteps echoed in the hallway. _Shit. Shit, shit, shit…_ Ana had been looking for someone to go nuclear on today, and this woman had given her more than enough reason.

"Ana, let's just—"

She snatched the picture from him. "So, this is your son, huh? Well, I'm kind of becoming an expert on revenge myself, so let me tell you something: You have to dig deeper than this if you want to find out who really killed your son. Start by asking the right questions, like who manipulated who into building Ultron in the first place."

Thankfully, the elevator was here. He tried to pull her, but she stayed put.

"Does it matter?" the woman asked. "Wherever you go, you bring death with you."

"Of course it matters! We're trying to protect everyone, even ungrateful assholes like yourself! What? Even if Sokovia had never happened, your son would be killed by aliens later! Would that be better? Because they're coming to kill us all! Today, tomorrow, ten years from now… They're going to kill us all, and we won't be able to stop them because of cowards like you!"

"Okay, that's enough!" Tony dragged her into the elevator before things got uglier, and gave the picture back to the woman.

Once the door slid shut, he said, "Honey…"

"What?" she asked defensively. "This wasn't what I meant when I told you to keep your thoughts to yourself, you know. You have to let people know that Ultron wasn't your fault. Why are you protecting the Maximoff girl?"

"Because I cannot hide behind an orphaned kid and let her take the blame! Not for something I was already going to do!"

"You would've done it the right way if she hadn't messed with your head. You would've never used the Scepter for a shortcut. Besides, how do we know if that woman was telling the truth? For all I know, she might be an actress someone hired just to mess with you!"

"I'll look into it," he said, but deep down, he knew that wasn't necessary. The elevator stopped, they got out, and started off to the parking lot, where Happy was waiting.

"Where to, boss?" he asked.

Tony looked at Ana. "Lunch?"

"I'm not hungry…" She was still fuming, and her mood wasn't going to improve anytime soon.

Tony sighed. "Airport it is, then."

* * *

Ana was still sour during the flight, at least until they saw what had happened in Lagos on the news. Tony was horrified, but a cruel smile was playing about Ana's lips, which made him even more horrified.

"Ana, people died," he reminded her.

"Yeah, because of the Maximoff bitch. Maybe now they'll see her for what she truly is."

"I'll handle this. You just stay out of the conflict. Cap has a soft spot for her."

"And you have a soft spot for all of them. You know, the ones who mind-raped you, choked you, or tossed you around like a ragdoll…"

"What exactly is it you want, Ana? You said you weren't going to make me choose, but now…"

"I want my father back!" she yelled. "The man no one dared to cross! Not this soft, whimpering, gullible crybaby you've become! I want things to go back to the way they were!"

It hurt, to be looked at with so much venomous scorn by your baby girl. He knew she didn't really mean any of those words. He knew she didn't love him for his money, fame, or even his genius. If he went bankrupt today, had an accident and got paralyzed from the neck below, Ana would still be by his side. She wouldn't mind living in a trailer park, spoon-feeding him and cleaning soiled bedsheets all day. Not that this was the future he imagined for her, but there was something reassuring about a daughter's unconditional love.

"If you want me to trash the suits again…"

"I don't want you to trash the suits! I never have! It's not the suits, Dad. It's the Avengers. They ruined you. Even when you were a weapons manufacturer, you believed you were saving the world. But you never begged anyone on your knees for forgiveness for every single life your inventions took. I honestly prefer the Merchant of Death over this pathetic shell of a man. At least I was the one thing he truly cared about. Now you give your heart to anyone who wants to tear it apart."

"Ana, _you_ are my heart. You will always be."

She smiled bitterly. "Yeah, I guess that explains why I'm so broken."

He didn't say anything, and just looked out the window. He didn't know how to fix her, and this was a first. For ten minutes, they sat in tense silence. At some point, Happy left them alone, probably to give them a chance to sort this out without an audience.

Finally, Ana started, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I don't really think you're weak. You're just refusing to use the strength you have. I wish I knew why. I'm tired, Dad. I'm tired of wondering if Thor's going to fry you with his hammer, Rogers is going to tear you in half, Maximoff is going to suck the life out of you in your sleep, or a random stranger is going to shoot you on the street. I love you. I just want you to stop setting yourself on fire to warm others. Can you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive. You're just trying to help."

"I've been thinking… Maybe there's no stopping what's coming. Maybe we should focus on making most of the time we have left, not hurting each other, having no regrets by the time aliens show up again. I, for one, will certainly regret this temper by then."

This confused him. Ana wasn't someone who would throw in the towel, especially not when it came to aliens. "I thought you had a plan. The Nexus, Project Sneak Peek…"

She gave a surrendered shrug. "I don't think they'll work, Dad."

"Where did that come from?"

Another shrug. "Just a hunch."

He moved onto the seat beside her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I won't let anyone hurt you," he promised.

This wasn't the first time he was making a promise they both knew he couldn't keep, but for the first time, Ana's response was a skeptical look. He didn't think she did it on purpose; she wasn't trying to hurt him. But he had seen it for a second there, and it hurt to know that his daughter had finally lost faith in him.


	49. Chapter 49

Sometimes, a doorway wasn't just a doorway. Sometimes, it was the most beautiful doorway in the world, especially if it belonged to your childhood home that would be blown up by a madman in a few years. But for now, Ana was here, looking at the security cam above the front door of the Malibu Mansion, speaking with haste. Then, her eyes tore from the cam for a second, and she turned around. Two men, faces covered by ski masks, guns pointed at her. She wasn't startled. She was expecting them. Maybe not so soon, but she was expecting them.

Two gunshots from one of the guns. Ana felt the bullets pierce her chest, her heart. She felt the searing pain, and welcomed it. She was expecting the pain, too. It was a part of the plan. She looked at the cam again.

"_New York. You must be in New York."_

When Ana jolted awake, screaming, she was back in her room in Manhattan, New York. Not in Malibu. The doorway she had seen in her dream was no more. But this was how she was going to die. Charles Hinton had shown her. She had been seeing it in her nightmares ever since.

"FRIDAY, what time is it?"

"05.40 AM. Another nightmare?"

"Oh, shut up…"

Instead of going back to sleep, she got out of bed. She might as well start getting ready for work. She was going to need a long shower to calm down anyway.

* * *

"Going somewhere?" Ana asked her dad when she saw him in a suit—a normal, gray business suit, not an Iron Man suit—on her way out to work.

"Yep, and you're coming with me."

"But—"

"Whatever plans you got for today, they're going to have to wait. Secretary Ross wants you there, too."

_Finally_, she thought. It had been a month since Lagos. The incident had given the UN the excuse they had been waiting for. It wasn't going to be easy, though, to convince her dad to play ball with the government, especially after all that _"I want my father back_" diatribe. And the thing was, he was trying. Since that day at MIT, he had attended several parties, and thrown a few himself. To show her support and appreciation, Ana had accompanied him. They had even spent a weekend in Las Vegas. The one thing he refused to do was having one-night stands. One-night stands would be good for him; they would help him remember Potts wasn't the only woman in the world and a committed relationship wasn't a requirement for being a responsible adult, but Ana wasn't being pushy about it either. There was no need for such awkwardness. Other than that, he had been making progress. She didn't want to hinder it and send him back to his apologetic self.

But then, the old Tony Stark was also a man of strategy when the circumstances called for it. Plus, the deal she had made with Ross was for her dad's safety in the long run.

"Me? Why?" she asked, pretending to be clueless.

"He said something about oversight… Is it really hard to guess what this is about, kid?"

She nodded thoughtfully. "They want to put superheroes in check…"

"It was just a matter of time."

"What are you going to do?"

He showed her two files on his phone. The CVs of Miriam Sharpe, and her son, Charles Spencer. "That woman at MIT wasn't an actress, after all."

"Well, working with the government can help you fix your public image."

"I don't care about publicity, Ana. I'm going to work with them because it's the right thing to do. Do you remember how, after Afghanistan, I realized I'd become a part of a system that was comfortable with zero accountability? Well, it's happening all over again. Without some accountability, Avenging is no different from warmongering."

Damn, he_ was_ going back to his apologetic self… If it weren't for the deal she had made with Ross, she would tell him to give the middle finger to anyone who tried to guilt-trip him and not to sign the Accords. But getting rid of Maximoff was a more immediate priority. She couldn't cross a man like Ross. Her hands were tied.

"Let's go, then."

* * *

They met with Ross in a hotel room in Manhattan. He brought security guards, and some of the Stark Industries lawyers were already there by the time the Starks themselves joined. The Accords had become even thicker since Ana had seen the first draft. As for Mr. Secretary himself, he seemed pleased with how unusually easy it had been to convince Tony Stark, probably assuming it was Ana's doing. All she had to do was to let him.

"Okay," her dad said, once Ross was finished explaining. "Count me in."

Ross turned to Ana this time. "And you?"

"Of course."

"If this is about Sokovia, that was an exception," her dad said quickly. "We needed all hands on deck for that one. She's never been an Avenger, and she'll never be. No need for her to sign."

"She knows how to build and operate a suit, right?"

"So, are you going to make everyone with an IQ above 200 sign the Accords?"

"If they have the means to build a nuclear bomb in their backyards, yes. I will."

"Fine," Ana said, seeing no way out. At least signing would make her feel less of a hypocrite. "Let's get this over with. Does anyone have a pen?"

Her dad put a hand on her shoulder protectively to stop her. "No need to hurry, kid. Let the lawyers take a good look at it first."

"If we're done here," Ross interrupted them. "Can we go to the Compound now?"

Her dad got on his feet. "Sure. Cap's expecting me, anyway… Ana, Happy can take you to work—"

"I'm coming with you."

He frowned, but waited until they fell behind everyone else before whispering, "Honey, you at the Compound? _Today_? I don't think it's a good idea."

"I won't be a drama queen, I promise. I just want to see the look on their faces."

He sighed. "Yeah, I'm not looking forward to that part."

* * *

Ana wanted to see the look on their faces, because it was the only way to analyze the situation based on their initial response, and come up with a plan to provoke Maximoff. During the discussion, Ana just remained silent, and observed. The truth was, no one was happy about the Accords. But thank goodness, Rhodey had agreed to sign. Much to Ana's surprise, so did Vision and Nat. Rogers didn't. Maximoff and Wilson would follow his lead.

Rogers received a text message before he could make a final decision, though, and left the communal area, saying he had to go. After that, the others dispersed as well. It was just Ana, her dad, and Vision now.

"Listen, I need to ask you a favor," her dad asked Vision under his breath.

"Yes, Mr. Stark?"

"Wanda likes you. Can you keep her company here until this is sorted out?"

"You wish to confine her to the Compound…"

"For her protection. Come on, Vision. She's not a U.S. citizen. You got any idea how many strings I had to pull just to make sure she wouldn't get deported?"

Vision sighed. Not that he needed air, but he had done it anyway.

"Oh, are you worried the princess is going to be offended?" Ana sneered. "I've been under lockdown, too. And it didn't bother me, because I knew it was for my own protection while Stane was out there. I might not be able to move things with my brain, but I still use it more efficiently."

Vision sighed again. "Ana, this is not a competition."

"Of course not. You need an actual rival for a competition."

He ignored the remark. "Well, Mr. Stark is right. This arrangement is for everyone's best interest."

With these words, he, too, left.

"You're not obliged to keep her comfortable, you know," she told her dad once they were alone.

"Why, do you want to find out what happens if we make her uncomfortable?"

"Is this fear, or mercy?"

"Does it matter?"

"Fear is smart. Mercy is stupid."

"Kid, sometimes you scare me."

"Look, I'm glad you decided to sign the Accords. The last thing we need is another conflict with the government. But you're doing this for the wrong reasons. Don't let the guilt control you. You've saved the world, more than once. It is people that owe you a debt, not the other way around."

He gave her a sad smile. "How can you do this? How can you always find a way to defend me?"

"Why, you always find a way to defend your dad. At least _you_ deserve to be defended."

"Unlike my dad?"

She shrugged. "You already know what I think of him."

He put an arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer. "Let's just go home before you jump down someone's throat."

* * *

The next day, the lawyers called. As a non-combatant, Ana only had to register as a "gifted individual." She was going to prepare a detailed report on the capabilities of every suit she had, and would build in the future. She could use them in case of an emergency, or for self-defense, but if that happened, there would be a hearing. The panel reserved the right to inspect her home and workplace unannounced, meaning she was going to have to hide her secrets very carefully from now on. If she got caught breaking any laws, the consequences would be severe. Even if she earned a pardon, she could continue her experiments only under strict supervision.

She agreed to sign, hoping it would be worth getting rid of Maximoff. For the sake of publicity, she decided to do it in Vienna, with Nat. Nat would represent the Avengers, and Ana, the Stark family. People needed to understand they weren't mutually inclusive.

"_You sign, and we're not friends anymore."_

The threat was a text from Daisy. _"I couldn't care less,"_ Ana typed, hit the send button, and slipped the phone back into her pocket. Yeah, she had just burnt the bridges with her best friend. Hopefully, all these would be worth it in the end.

"Have you been here before?" Natasha asked, coming to stand next to her by the window overlooking the city.

"Vienna? Yeah, for a few vacations… You?"

"For a few missions."

Ana laughed. She actually liked hanging out with her. On their way here, she had come to realize the Black Widow made a cool traveling buddy.

"I was in London yesterday," she said suddenly. "Steve was at Peggy Carter's funeral."

"Oh." So, that was what was going on with Rogers… Ana had met Peggy only once, but Sigyn would tell her so much about the woman. Aside from her connection to Rogers, Ana respected her a lot.

"Steve is really sorry about JARVIS, you know."

"Is he? Because he seems more concerned about Maximoff's mistakes than his own."

"I could blame her for _my _loss, too."

"You should." There was still no word from Bruce.

"I wouldn't be here if people around me didn't believe in second chances."

"I was twelve when I learned why you shouldn't trust people who wronged you even once. Everything that's happened ever since only bolsters that argument."

"You went to a boarding school, right?"

"Yeah."

She showed her a scar on her left wrist. It was very faint, impossible to notice unless you looked very closely. Ana, for example, had never noticed it until now. "This… didn't happen in a fight."

"How, then?"

"I went to a boarding school, too. They used to shackle us to our beds every night… Not that they had to, but it was an old tradition."

"The Red Room…"

"If I can see the good in people, so can you. I didn't know JARVIS too well, but I'm sure he'd want you to."

"Excuse me, Ms. Romanoff, Ms. Stark," a woman interrupted. "We need your signatures."

They signed the attendance sheet. The woman thanked them and left.

"Ms. Romanoff, Ms. Stark." A young man approached. Ana knew him. After Sokovia, they had been able to recover a small amount of vibranium, and contacted Wakanda. Well, maybe not before Ana had run some experiments… King T'Chaka had then sent his son to retrieve it.

"I suppose neither of us is used to the spotlight," he told Nat. He probably wanted to talk to her about the Wakandans who had died in Lagos.

"Well, it's not always so flattering."

"Ms. Stark, it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you, too, Prince T'Challa. I'm really sorry about the incident in Lagos. So is Ms. Romanoff."

"Thank you," he said, then turned to Nat again. "You seem to be doing alright so far. Considering your last trip to Capitol Hill, I wouldn't think you'd be particularly comfortable in this company."

"Well, I'm not."

"And that alone makes me glad you are here, Ms. Romanoff."

"Why? You don't approve of all this?"

"The Accords, yes. The politics, not really. Two people in a room can get more done than a hundred."

"Unless you need to move a piano," King T'Chaka himself joined them. The second he did, Ana recognized the bond the two shared, the same kind she shared with her own father.

"_Baba_," T'Challa greeted him.

"Ms. Romanoff, Ms. Stark…"

"King T'Chaka, please allow me to apologize for what happened in Nigeria," Nat said immediately.

"Thank you. Thank you for agreeing to all this. I'm sad to hear that Captain Rogers will not be joining us today."

"Yeah, so am I."

An announcement was made, telling everyone to take their seats. "That is the future calling," T'Challa said. "Such a pleasure, Ms. Romanoff."

"Oh, and Ms. Stark," King T'Chaka said as the two women were taking their leave. "I've been meaning to thank you in person for returning what has remained of our stolen vibranium."

"I'm sorry we were able to recover only such a small amount."

"I'm also glad that you and your father support the Accords. Decades ago, my father gave your grandfather vibranium as a token of good faith. Now I see that faith wasn't misplaced."

Ana smiled at him politely, then went to take her seat beside Nat.

The assembly began with King T'Chaka's speech. Everything seemed in order, until they heard distant shouts coming from outside, and T'Challa yelled, "EVERYBODY GET DOWN!"

Ana didn't know how it could be possible after everything she had been through, but she couldn't react in time. She just froze. Maybe it was due to seeing, in almost slow motion, a desperate person whose first instinct had been to shield his father from the impact.

She could have died if Nat hadn't pulled her under the desk in time. Ana had seen action before, in Sokovia, but this was different. This time, there was no suit to protect her. She was completely exposed. Only then, she realized the true meaning of the Accords. This was what she was signing up for. To be completely exposed for the rest of your life. To ask for permission from others to use something she created with her own mind and hands. Like a stupid turtle that gave its shell away, to the predators of the jungle… What was worse, she was basically defending the view that others should do the same. No wonder Daisy hated her so much for this. But it was too late to go back now. And she was too proud to openly admit she had made a huge mistake.

There was too much noise, too much smoke, dust and glass shards… Her ears were ringing from the deafening noise of the explosion.

"Nat, I can't breathe," she said, hugging her tightly.

"It's okay. Cover your nose and your mouth. I'll get us out of here."

Ana covered the lower half of her face with her sleeve. Nat pulled her out, and they joined the flood of shocked people fleeing the building. Nat made her sit on the first bank they saw outside. Even here, the air smelled of smoke, but at least it was breathable. Ana didn't even know why she was so afraid; she knew she wasn't supposed to die here. If it was so bad for her, she couldn't even imagine what it was like for people who didn't know what their future held.

"Are you hurt?"

"No. You?"

"I'm fine. Stay here. I'll be back in a minute."

Ana looked around and saw the cameras and reporters… For once, none of them was paying her any attention. The attack was probably on the news already.

_Dad…_ He must have heard it by now. Thankfully, she still had her phone on her. When she looked, there were already six missed calls. She was about to call him back when he tried for the seventh time. She answered with shaky hands.

"Dad?"

"Ana?" He sounded like he was having a heart attack, but it was so good to hear his voice still.

"I'm okay. I was with Nat."

"Oh, thank God…"

"I scared you, didn't I?"

"I'm just glad you're safe. Stay with Natasha, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. But, Dad…"

"Yes, honey?"

"When can I see you?"

"There's a CIA headquarters in Berlin, I'll meet you there."

"Got it."

"I was planning to take the jet, but I can fly faster in the—"

"No, no. This is not a good time for another unauthorized flight." She was desperate to see him, yes, but there was no need to test Ross' patience. Not when she had come so close to getting rid of Maximoff. The show had to go on.

"Ana, there's one more thing," he added gravely.

"Yeah?"

"They say it was the Winter Soldier. You know who that is, right?"

"Bucky Barnes, Rogers' old friend?" She wondered if this attack was HYDRA's doing, or Barnes was an independent contractor now. Both seemed equally possible.

"Yeah. This is about to get really, really messy, and I want you to stay out of it. I gotta see you in Berlin, but after that, you're going home right away. Understood?"

"Understood."

* * *

In Berlin, they had given her an office to wait in. In the meantime, Rogers had apparently tried to rescue Barnes in Romania. He, the Winter Soldier, Wilson, and T'Challa, who was trying to kill Barnes on his own to avenge his father's death, had been captured, with Rhodey's help. He had called Ana, too, at one point, to make sure she was alright.

The office was made of glass panels, so she saw her dad striding down the corridor hastily. He looked like a mess, but at the same time he had the determined face of someone who was done being a doormat.

Ana stood up and waited for him to enter.

"Kid," he gasped, barging in.

"Hey, Dad."

They hugged. They hugged like they were alone, ignoring the glass walls around them. Death taught you not to give two shits about people you barely knew and their opinions. "You okay?"

"I am."

He took a step back to inspect her better. "You sure?"

"Well, my lungs still hurt a bit. There was too much dust." She wasn't going to tell him how the attack had made her feel about the Accords. Not because she was too proud, but because her opinion was the only thing that could change his. Telling him would make him and Rogers unite against the Accords, despite Barnes.

"Come here. Take a seat." He made her sit back down on the leather couch.

"Dad, by the look of it, you're the one who needs a rest."

"I'll rest when that son of a bitch gets what he deserves. God, I'd gladly kill him with my bare hands… But I guess a Wakandan prison would do, too." He was pacing around restlessly while talking.

"Don't let Captain America hear that," she joked, then became serious again. "What now?"

"Normally, I'd try to reason with Cap, but you were there, kid. Damn, you were there… It's not just about the Accords anymore. It's personal."

"So, you finally decided to act…" If he was going to toughen up, return to his normal self, all that horror she had been through was worth it.

He took a seat, too, and took her hand into his. "Kid, I didn't try to avenge JARVIS, and I know that makes you feel betrayed."

"I never—"

"You never blamed me, I know. But let's be honest: Deep down, it was what you expected from me. And you had every right."

"You had to think of the greater good. Revenge wouldn't have brought JARVIS back. I get it. We can't afford to be petty."

"Not just that. I didn't avenge JARVIS, because I believe there's still hope for him. A part of him is still in Vision. Who knows, maybe one day… Still, things are different now. If Rogers is going to defend a terrorist, it's not something we can tolerate. Not even for the _greater good_."

Ana's phone started vibrating on the table, again.

85 missing calls from Potts, and counting.

"I know I shouldn't block my CEO's number, but I'm really tempted to do it."

"She was worried sick. We talked."

"You _talked_?" That wasn't good. Potts shouldn't be giving him any hope.

"She was the one who called me, actually. To know if you were okay, since you ignore her calls. Just let her hear your voice. Please. For me."

He sounded so broken that Ana didn't have a choice anymore. She picked it up.

"Hello, Ms. Potts. This is Golden Goose #2, still alive and kicking. Bye." She hung up, before Potts could speak. "There. You happy now?"

"Well, at least you talked to her. That's progress."

"So, the new king of Wakanda has a vibranium suit," Ana said to change the subject. "How cool is that?"

"You might want to remove yourself from the building before they arrive."

"Are you sure you can handle Rogers? You know how stubborn he is."

"Let me worry about that. And I'll feel a lot better once you're safe at home."

"Okay, then."

"Happy is here to take you."

Indeed, Happy was waiting at the end of the hallway. They got out of the office and went to him.

"Hey, Ana. You look okay."

"Take good care of her, will you?"

"I always do, sir."

They hugged again. "Good luck, Dad. Keep me updated."

"Sure thing. Fly safe. I'll see you soon."

He released her. Ana followed Happy out of the building, and into a rental Audi A8. On the way to the airport, they saw the police convoy with the screaming sirens. Rogers wouldn't rest until he freed his friend. And he was going to need help. Ana didn't think she would even have to get creative to send Maximoff to the Raft.

* * *

"At times like these, I wish I had a degree in Chemistry…"

"Ana, you're trying to create a new element. I don't think a degree would make it any easier," FRIDAY commented.

One of the best things about having a private jet was you could keep working on your projects during a 9-hour flight. Like, creating a new element based on the Mind Stone. It had been her sole personal project for a while.

"In the meantime, connect to the security feed of the Compound. I want to see what Maximoff is up to."

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

This confused Ana. "Why not?"

"Mr. Stark has removed all your administrative privileges on the Compound network."

"He did WHAT?" Ana cried.

A second later, Happy came in. "Hey, everything's okay?"

"No! Dad locked me out of the Compound, can you believe it?"

He didn't react with surprise at all.

"You knew…"

"Well, yeah," Happy mumbled evasively.

And then, that blinding rage took over again. They were living on borrowed time, and people like Maximoff were ruining it. "He's _protecting_ her… Why is he protecting her?"

"He's protecting you, Ana. You were becoming obsessed with that girl. Tony was worried."

"Leave me alone!"

"That doesn't sound like a good idea right now."

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed.

Happy left.

"I'm sorry, Ana," FRIDAY said calmly. "But the good news is, your latest simulation has worked. You've created the new element. Well done." She showed her the simulation.

Under normal circumstances, Ana would be celebrating right now. She was one step closer to creating the Nexus. Two down, four to go… If only she were in the mood for celebration. But then, if she had duplicated the Mind Stone, the stone that had given Maximoff her powers… Suddenly, sending her to the Raft wasn't such a tempting idea anymore. Not while she had the power to kill the bitch.

There wasn't a Particle Accelerator on the jet—that would be too dangerous—but she could remotely control the one she had at home. The element would be synthesized by the time she was there. So would the new Arc Reactor that would have not one, but two elements in its core. Now all she had to do was to design a new suit that could harness this power…

"Would you like to report this development to the Committee?"

"And tell them about the Nexus? Hell no. This one stays with me."

"It's been less than 24 hours since you signed the Accords, and you're already breaking the law," FRIDAY complained.

"I won't tell them if you don't…"


	50. Chapter 50

The night was quiet, until a fire broke out somewhere in the woods. A distraction for Vision, by Clint, no doubt. He was here for Wanda. He didn't know Ana was entering the building, right behind him. She was keeping a safe distance, just in case. It was amazing how, with a few modifications, an Iron Man suit could turn you into a ninja.

Maximoff threw a knife at Clint when she sensed the presence of someone else in the room, but stopped just before it hit him in the face. He hadn't even flinched, though. Geez, why did everyone trust her so much?

"Guess I should've knocked…"

"Oh my God, what are you doing here?"

"Disappointing my kids," he said, shooting two arrows that would create an electric field once someone was anywhere between them. "We were supposed to go water-skiing. Cap needs our help, come on."

"Clint!" Vision said, phasing back into the room through the wall. "You should not be here."

"Really? I retire for what, like five minutes, and it all goes to shit."

"Please consider the consequences of your actions."

"Okay, they're considered."

Vision walked right into the trap Clint had set up. Ana sent a shockwave to break the arrows and free him. As the other two looked around in confusion, she revealed herself. "Hey, Clint. Long time no see."

He frowned, obviously not happy to see her. "Ana… Did Tony send you?"

"He doesn't know I'm here. Please go home to your family, Clint. I don't want to fight you. This is between me and her."

He was going to say something, but Maximoff stopped him. "No, she's right. I've caused enough problems…"

Before Clint could say anything, Vision came to apprehend him. Clint fired an arrow, but it flew right through Vision's temporarily ethereal body. Then it turned back to its default tangible form, and he pushed Clint away. Considering what he was capable of, he was going easy on the archer.

"I know I should've stretched," he said, whipping his baton out. Of course, it didn't take long for it to get shattered when he tried to hit Vision with it.

"Give up," Ana said. "You can't win against the two of us."

"Unless you're busy fighting each other…" Apparently, Maximoff had had a change of heart about the problems she caused. Red energy waves around her fingers were making their way towards Ana. They coiled around her head, but nothing happened. Maximoff narrowed her eyes in confusion, but Ana smiled.

"Did you think you were the only one with some tricks up her sleeve?"

"What did you do?"

So, Vision hadn't shared their little secret about the Mind Stone with her… "See, that's the difference between you and me. You don't even understand how your powers work. You don't deserve to have them."

"Ana, please," Vision broke in, still restraining Clint. "Remember what really matters here."

"The only thing that matters to me is revenge! I'm sick of being pushed around by a bunch of self-righteous assholes! I'm sick of being taken for granted all the time! Do you guys realize how much a private army of enhanced people costs, business-wise?_ I_ am working _my_ ass off just to keep this place afloat, so that ungrateful shits like her can travel around the world, kick ass, get asked for autographs and then return here to enjoy the sweet life! But enough is enough."

"What do you want from me?" Maximoff asked.

"I want you dead."

The helmet closed around Ana's head, and she charged at the Sokovian. Vision had pulled Clint out of the way just in time. Ana slammed Wanda against a wall, knocking out some furniture in their wake. She was choking her, but with a red energy blast, she got free, sending Ana flying off. She managed to stop in mid-air, hovering.

"You volunteered for HYDRA experiments, just to be able to kill my father! And now, you have it all! You have _everything_! It's not fair!"

"Not fair? I lost my brother!"

"Your fault…"

Wailing, she shot another blast. Ana responded with her own. The ceiling above them cracked loudly, and began collapsing around them. Both girls had to shield themselves from the rain of concrete until it stopped.

"Wanda, Ana, stop!" Vision said, almost pleading. "You're going to kill each other!"

"Do you think I'd be here if I feared death?" Ana snarled.

Vision flew at her, and trapped her in a tight grasp. But she was ready for him, too, with a few vibranium electromagnets that would disrupt his circuits. Some anti-vibranium gadgets were long overdue after the things Rogers had done with his shield, but these toys were effective against Vision as well. They wouldn't stop him forever, but she would be done with Maximoff by the time he was fully functional again.

With a grunt, Vision collapsed on his knees. "Ana, you don't want to do this…"

She ignored him, and turned to Maximoff, whose eyes lit up with a red glow. She was pissed. Good. Ana didn't want her to hold back. Because she surely wasn't going to. "Looks like it's just us girls now."

Maximoff grabbed her, and pushed her against another wall. This time, they knocked a hole in it. They flew outside. The fight was going to continue in the woods, away from the building. She probably wanted to protect Clint from any potential harm, now that Vision would no longer be able to guard him. Ana punched her in the stomach to break free. They came face to face, hovering above the trees.

"Half of the world loves you, the other half fears you," Ana hissed. "That was all I ever wanted for myself. And now you have it. Not because you earned it, but because you _stole_ it from me!"

"You're delusional! I didn't steal anything from you!"

Now that they were out in the open, the fight became much more violent. FRIDAY was helping Ana dodge the red waves, while shooting missiles, energy blasts, and laser beams at the same time. Wanda was parrying each attack with ease, hurling trees and hunks of earth at Ana's way, but she was obviously getting tired. Good thing machines never got tired.

At some point, Ana taunted her, "Vision will never let you and Clint leave, you know. You'll never be able to go to your precious Captain's help. Chances are he's going to spend the rest of his life in a Wakandan prison with his buddy!"

"Not if Vision is too busy saving you." The red threads were swirling around Ana again, but it looked like the Sokovian had something else in mind this time. She was trying to bury Ana underground, but by the look on her face, it was costing her a massive amount of effort. Still, Ana soon found herself violently being pushed deep into the earth. FRIDAY gave all the thrusters a boost, and Ana dashed upwards, against the current of the red waves, to grab Maximoff, who was standing on the edge of the grave she was making for Ana, by the neck.

But she didn't give up. The threads were now closing around Ana's neck. She could hear the metal crack, and feel the suit tighten around her throat. Maximoff was choking her. The HUD was blinking rapidly, giving error after error. But if she thought Ana was going to beg her for mercy, she was wrong.

Ana knew if she surrendered now, her life would be spared. But she refused to do it. Why? She didn't know. All she knew was that she was angry. She was angry with a universe that just wanted too much from her. Or maybe, it was her who wanted too much from it… It didn't matter. At least, if she died tonight, the vision she had seen would never come true.

Maybe, after her death, Charles Hinton would pay her father a visit, tell him the secret she had taken to the grave. He had promised not to tell anyone about it, but it wouldn't matter after she died, would it? Ana hoped so. If her dad found out how her other death was meant to be like, he might be thankful for the one she got.

But apparently, FRIDAY wouldn't give up on her easily. She managed to come back, only for a split second, and used this opportunity to fire a blast from the chest piece, repelling Maximoff.

Ana fell on the ground, and Maximoff never came back for her. Her priority was probably to take Clint and go to Rogers' help. Besides, she had left Ana choking by the metal tightened around her neck. Ana tried to remove the suit manually, but to no avail, until she saw Vision's silhouette against the night sky, soaring towards her, calmly, but swiftly, his cloak billowing behind him. He landed right before her, his expression inscrutable.

"Please be very still," he said flatly, after examining her situation, and shot a beam from the Mind Stone. Ana froze. If she moved even an inch, the beam would cut her throat. He then pried the helmet apart with his hands.

Ana gasped for fresh air first, then said, "I'm done. _You_ have to go after them. Rogers is assembling his own team, you gotta help Dad!"

"I'll take you to the hospital first."

"I can't go to the hospital. If they find out I've been involved in a fight…"

He scooped her into his arms, and took her back to the Compound, and placed her on a couch that hadn't been broken. Maximoff and Barton were long gone, of course.

"Go!" Ana insisted. "I'll patch myself up."

Vision just gave her a hard look in response, and remained put.

"You're mad at me…"

"I'm not _mad_. Just… disappointed. There's a voice in my head, telling me you're better than this. I know he is honest, but I'm struggling to believe him."

"Vision?"

"Yes?"

"Don't ever try to use JARVIS against me."

Without a word, he flew out through the roof, leaving Ana alone in the partially trashed Compound.

* * *

As much as she hated to admit it, trying to kill the Maximoff bitch was a stupid idea. The humiliation of defeat had bruised Ana's pride, but other than that, things were going well. FRIDAY had said there had been a confrontation in Germany, Rogers and Barnes had been able to get away, but everyone else who had chosen the wrong side was now in the Raft. Ross had sent her a picture of Wanda in a straightjacket.

Ana was dancing to the music while repairing her armor to celebrate the victory when Vision entered. FRIDAY turned off the music. He didn't seem happy.

"Look, I know she was your girlfriend and all, but… Go be a buzzkill somewhere else, will you?"

"Colonel Rhodes has been severely injured. I thought you might want to know before you started celebrating," he said with an icy voice, and walked away.

Ana paused. No. He was lying, to make her feel guilty. FRIDAY hadn't said anything about any injuries. "You're lying," she cried, striding after him. "Vision! Tell me you're lying!"

He didn't say anything. Ana returned to the workshop and shut the door.

"FRIDAY?"

"It's true, Ana. Mr. Stark was going to tell you himself."

So, it was true, then. Rhodey was hurt, and Ana had had no idea until now.

"Call him."

She did.

"Ana?"

"Dad?"

"What the hell, Ana? What the actual hell? FRIDAY told me what happened with Wanda."

"Dad, I'm truly sorry about that."

"You were way out of your league, kid! If something happened to you… After Rhodey…" He was hyperventilating, like he was about to have a panic attack.

"I know. I'm so sorry. I should've thought of you."

"Ana, we can't keep living like this. I know you've been through a lot, and I know it's my fault, but you gotta sort this out."

"How is Rhodey? What happened?"

"He was chasing the Quinjet Cap had taken. Wilson was after him. So, he asked Vision to stop Wilson. Vision got distracted, hit Rhodey instead. His Arc Reactor got destroyed. I couldn't catch him in time, Ana. He broke his spine. I'm not going to lie to you. It's bad. It's shattered from F4 to S1. His spinal cord is severely damaged."

Vision had conveniently left out the part in which it was his fault. "How's he doing now?"

"He's scared… He'll be transferred to Colombia Medical tomorrow. Can you go there? I don't want him to be alone."

"What about you? Are you not coming?"

"I don't know. There's this guy, Zemo. Sokovian. He's behind all these. There're five more Winter Soldiers, and he wants to find them. That was why he lured Barnes out of his hiding place. That was why Cap was so desperate. He needs me, Ana."

"Come home, Dad. Tell Ross you're done. Please. If you let them go, I'll do the same."

"Honey, I can't."

"Are Nat and T'Challa still with you?"

"I'm not sure where T'Challa is now. He still thinks Barnes killed his father. And Nat… She turned against us. She's on the run now."

So, Natasha was actually on Rogers' side… Ana started to laugh hysterically.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. It's just… Whenever I trust someone, they betray us… I must be cursed or something."

"She was smarter than us. She realized trying to stop Cap was a mistake."

"What about that boy you found in Queens?"

"I sent him back to the hotel with Happy. The airport fight was one thing, but I can't pit a teenager against five psycho super soldiers."

"Where are you headed now?"

"I can't tell you."

"Come on, Dad, you need back up. You know you'll be walking into a trap. Do you honestly trust Rogers to watch your back? Would you trust him with your life, after everything he's done?"

"No. But I can't bring you into this either."

"Dad, I'm coming to you, one way or the other. Let's just not waste each other's time. Tell me where you are going."

For a moment, he was quiet, then said, "I'll send you the coordinates. But once we're there, you'll do exactly as I say."

"You got it," she said, and this time, she meant it.

* * *

He was already waiting for her by the time Ana reached that old HYDRA bunker in Siberia.

"Gosh, what happened to you?" she gasped when she saw his face. Of course she had seen worse, but… This was different. He looked like he had aged five years since she had last seen him. The bruises didn't help either.

"This is the part I'd say 'You should see the other guy,' but he's as good-looking as ever, so…"

Even now, she could make him chuckle, but she became serious again quickly. "I'm really sorry, Dad. My showdown with Maximoff was the last thing you needed, I know. I shouldn't have been in Vienna for PR either. I should've just signed the Accords at home and be done with it."

His face eased a bit after this. "Maximoff? Yes. Vienna? You couldn't have known that… Are you ready?"

"Yeah."

"If the Winter Soldiers are active, you won't touch the ground. You'll go invisible, keep your distance, and shoot them down from that distance. No squabbling with Cap, no snarky remarks about Maximoff. Don't mess with Barnes either, but never let your guard down. Zemo knows how to control him."

"Yes, sir," she teased.

He sighed deeply, then led the way. They entered the bunker through an elevator shaft, and landed on the top of the cabin. They removed the rusty ventilation panel to get inside. The elevator was broken; none of the buttons worked. They had to pry the doors open. When they did, they found Rogers and Barnes there, hiding behind the vibranium shield. Barnes was pointing a rifle at them. As agreed, she let her dad do the talking.

Her dad retracted his helmet. "You seem a little defensive."

"It's been a long day."

"At ease soldier, I'm not currently after you," he told Barnes.

"Then why are you here?" Rogers asked.

"Your story is not so crazy. Ross has no idea I'm here, I'd like to keep it that way. Otherwise, I gotta arrest myself."

"Well, that sounds like a lot of paperwork." He lowered the shield. "It's good to see you, Tony."

"You, too, Cap."

Damn, it was nauseating to see how forgiving he was sometimes.

"Manchurian candidate, you're killing me. There's a truce here, you can drop it."

Rogers was going to gesture Barnes to lower his gun, but then, his gaze lingered on Ana suspiciously.

"I'm only here because I don't trust you with my dad."

"And how do you expect me to trust you after what you did to Wanda?"

Her dad broke in, "Look, there was too much bad blood between the two girls from the start. They hashed it out. It was going to happen, one way or the other. Sure, it was… wrong. We adults can discuss it later. Right now, let's just focus on the mission."

Rogers nodded at his friend, who finally agreed to lower the rifle. They all set off to find the assassins. They located the main room, in which there were five cryo chambers, but there was only one heat signature. She wondered if her HUD was broken, or the Winter Soldiers had been moved to somewhere else.

"I got heat signatures," her dad said.

"How many?" asked Rogers.

"Uhm, one."

"Same," Ana confirmed.

Someone turned on the lights.

"If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep," he said. Indeed, the soldiers in the chambers had been shot in their heads. "Did you really think I wanted more of you? I'm grateful to them, though. They brought you here."

He lit another light, the one in his own chamber. Rogers tossed his shield at it, but it bounced right back."

"Please, Captain. The Soviets built this chamber to withstand a launch blast of UR-100 rockets."

"I'm betting I could beat that."

"Oh, I'm sure you could, Mr. Stark. Given time. But then you'd never know why you came."

"You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?"

"I thought about nothing else over a year. I studied you, I followed you. But now that you're standing here, I just realized… there's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes. How nice to find a flaw."

Ana scanned the area to find a trap, but there was nothing. It didn't make any sense.

"You're Sokovian. Is that what this is about?"

"Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell, no. I'm here because I made a promise."

"You lost someone."

"I lost _everyone_. And so will you."

This was wrong. This was a sinisterly elaborate mind game. What else could he possibly have here that would destroy them, if not five Winter Soldiers? Ana approached her dad, and whispered, "Dad, let's just burn this place to the ground with Zemo in it, and leave. I don't like this."

"We will," he assured her, but then, a monitor came alive. There was a date on it. 16-some Russian word-1991. FRIDAY translated the word, but she didn't have to. Ana didn't need to be a genius to know it meant "December."

_Shit._

"An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That's dead. Forever." And then, a security cam footage showing a familiar place came into view.

"I know that road," her dad said frantically. "What's this?"

The answer was obvious. There was an assassin here, one who wasn't responsible for Vienna, but still responsible for countless other deaths in the past several decades. Sometimes assassinations looked like accidents.

Ana wanted to punch the monitor, and be done with it. She wanted to spare her dad the pain. But she also knew she had no right to do such a thing. Not without his approval. So, she retracted her own helmet, to look him in the eye. If anyone could convince him to walk out of here, it was her.

"Dad, you don't have to see it. Just smash the screen."

"I can't."

"Let me do it, then."

"I can't do that either. I have to know."

Well, she hadn't had much hope anyway. She understood why he had to know. They both had a penchant for finding out the truth no matter how ugly, uncomfortable, or disturbing it was. So, she put a hand on his shoulder, and they watched as the truth behind the death of Howard and Maria Stark unfolded before them. She couldn't look at her dad's face. She knew that if she did, what she saw would be the most heartbreaking thing she had ever seen.

Ana always judged her grandfather harshly, and wasn't ashamed of it. Until now. Seeing him helpless like that changed something within her. He hadn't deserved to die like that. Like Hammer had once said, he was no flower child. He was a lion. A legend. This wasn't a fitting ending for such a man.

But the worst part was her grandmother's gasps as she was choked to death.

When the footage ended, her dad turned to Ana, as if he was expecting her to tell him what to do next. But Ana didn't know what to say.

"_It's okay"_? It wasn't okay. He had just seen how his parents had been killed. Such a thing could never be okay. What was worse, Rogers didn't seem shocked at all. He knew, then. He had known it all along.

"_I'm sorry"_? She was sorry. Yeah, she wanted him to hate Rogers, but not like this. This was too much. Rogers was looking at her, too, his eyes almost begging her to do something that would stop what was about to happen. It was quite ironic, because she would, if Rogers hadn't murdered JARVIS. Not because he cared about Rogers or Barnes, but because she knew her dad would be grateful for it in the long run.

Rogers must have understood, because he intervened. "Tony…"

Her dad turned to him. "Did you know?"

"I didn't know it was him."

"Don't bullshit me, Rogers, did you know?"

"Yes."

He nodded, and turned to Ana again. "I'm sorry, baby girl," he said with a tormented grimace. "I'm sorry it took me so long to see it."

"Are you sure?" she asked softly. To be 100% honest, she didn't want him to come back to his senses and forgive Rogers yet again. But she didn't want to provoke him so selfishly into doing something he would regret later. She owed him this moment to stop and think about the consequences. Well, who was she kidding? They were _both_ going to regret it. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but one day. When Loki's warmonger showed up and they screwed up so bad that Ana would have to travel back in time and get herself killed just to warn her past self. The kind of sacrifice only someone who had nothing left to lose would make…

Still, they were just human, and there was only so much pain they could take. Sometimes, the only way to ease the pain was through bad choices.

"I am."

They didn't lose any time. Their helmets were back on again. He went for Barnes. Rogers was hers. The first thing Captain America did was, of course, throwing his shield at them. It was how he had killed JARVIS. By destroying the hardware he relied on. But things were different now. Ana activated the magnet on her left wrist, even more powerful than the one Rogers used, and the shield came to her instead of hitting her dad. Rogers' face was priceless when he realized she had been keeping busy. Did he honestly believe what he had done would be forgotten? The nerve some people had…

"Ana, please…"

In response, she charged at him and hit him in the face with his own shield. Not really _his_ shield, though, right? It was another Stark design. Which made this even more delicious. Captain America was created by a Stark. It was only fitting he was ended by another Stark, especially after this betrayal. He was lying on the ground now, wiping away the blood on his mouth. She put a foot on his chest to pin him down.

"Ana," he said again. "He didn't do it. HYDRA had control of his mind."

"No one had control of _your_ mind when you killed JARVIS."

"I'm sorry for that. But killing me won't bring him back."

"I know."

"Then why?"

"You think you're the only one who's willing to burn the world for one person?"

He threw his head back, and sighed, as if she was merely an annoyance. Then he wrapped both arms around Ana's calf, and wrestled to get free. FRIDAY latched the other boot to the floor to reinforce her stance. Ana slid the foot she was using to keep him in place to his neck, to prove that she wasn't messing around.

"My father just wants Barnes. He won't kill you. But I will."

First, she was going to make him watch his best friend die, though. She was going to hear him beg for mercy, just like she had begged them to spare JARVIS' life. Her dad was acting on impulse, but Ana had waited for too long for this day. This was way better than fighting Maximoff. Even though she hated how much her dad was hurt, she might as well savor this moment, for what was done was done. She could worry about healing her dad later. Maybe they could…

Rogers managed to break free, and started running to Barnes' help. Her dad had been chasing him around the bunker. Ana threw the shield at Rogers, and then retrieved it with the magnet. The hit didn't knock him down, but made him stumble, giving her enough time to fly at him and punch him in the face. It felt better than anything money could buy. As soon as he recovered from the blow, his hands closed around the rim of the shield, and he started pulling it with all the strength he had. Ana was pulling back. He was stronger than she had thought; at one point during this tug-of-war, she heard the gold-titanium alloy actually crack. She punched him again, twice, but he didn't let go. On the third time, he pivoted around to dodge her fist, and with that, managed to rip the vibranium shield off, along with the magnet embedded in the forearm. He hit her with it, in the chest, sending her flying off.

"Shit!" She looked down at her chest. Thankfully, the Arc Reactor was undamaged, other than a crack on the cover. Rogers was following Barnes into what looked like an air shaft. Ana charged at him again. In the meantime, her dad snatched Barnes and took him away from the air shaft, so that he couldn't escape through there.

As they wrestled, Ana pondered if she should just kill Rogers and be done with it. She still wanted his best friend's dead body to be the last thing he saw before he died, but to be realistic, there was a chance she might lose this fight. He was too fast and strong, and her suit kept getting more and more damaged with each blow.

That was when she heard a missile being fired. It had it one of the pillars that held the cryo chambers, and it started to collapse. Rogers pushed her under this and she got stuck beneath the debris of metal and concrete.

"FRIDAY, get me out of here."

FRIDAY scanned the pile of debris around her and showed her the best spot to cut a hole. Ana did, then crawled out of the debris, but it took her some time, for she had to move very carefully. She had heard FRIDAY tell her dad that the flight and targeting systems had been compromised.

"Take me to Dad!"

FRIDAY took her to the air shaft. She saw her dad, almost on the top, fighting Barnes, but he looked like he needed help, so she was flying up towards him, but Rogers came out of nowhere and tackled her. They both ended up on the bottom of the air shaft, where the vibranium shield was lying unclaimed. Rogers grabbed it before she could, and was going to slam it against her head, but she rolled over to the side and then rose to her feet from a safe distance from him just in time.

"It's not too late," he said. "You can still get Tony out of here. I know you're the only one who can."

"Yeah, maybe you shouldn't have antagonized me in the first place."

"Then go ahead and kill me. Why are you stalling?"

Before she could say anything, Barnes fell right between them, followed by her dad. The fight resumed. But now, Rogers knew she wasn't fighting to kill, and he was taking advantage of it. Ana had to take many hits until FRIDAY analyzed his fight pattern and deployed the counter-measures. After that, she easily sent the shield flying off, wrapped both arms around him and made him look at Barnes, who had grabbed the shield and was trying to use it against her dad. But he, too, quickly slapped it aside.

"_This_ is why I've been stalling," she hissed. "Death is too good for you. Too simple. You're going to have a taste of your own poison first."

Indeed, she knew Rogers and Barnes were childhood friends. They had grown up together, just like JARVIS and Ana had. They were best friends before lovers. The revenge had come with a terrible cost, yes, but honestly, it couldn't get any better than this either.

But Barnes must have heard her, too, for with a loud roar, he pushed her dad against the wall and tried to rip the Arc Reactor off. She couldn't both restrain Rogers and go to his help at the same time.

"Dad?"

"I got this!"

A blast from the Reactor vaporized his metal arm, leaving him shocked. Rogers was struggling so hard that she could feel her arms loosen. Her dad kicked Barnes while he was still down.

"Hurry up, Dad, I can't hold him forever."

Rogers threw himself backwards so violently that she hadn't only had to let him go, but had also let out a loud cry of pain. She had hit her head against the wall behind them.

"Ana?"

In his panic, her dad had let his guard down for a split second, and Rogers took the opportunity. He tackled him, raised him above his head, then slammed him down. The shield was nearby; he snatched it and hit him in the head, again and again, until the helmet cracked open.

When he raised the shield one more time, the sight sent her body through a heat flash. She had never forgotten how JARVIS had been killed, it was forever burned into her brain, but seeing her father raise his arms as a last attempt to protect himself made everything all too vivid, even though Rogers had smashed his Arc Reactor instead.

_Never again!_

A wail escaped her mouth, she forgot her own pain, and she pulled that son of a bitch away from her dad. "Haven't you taken enough from me?"

She began punching him repeatedly, until he was trapped against the wall, not caring if Barnes, who was also lying on the floor, was dead or not. She was going to end this now. FRIDAY had already analyzed his fight pattern, so they weren't giving him even one second to catch a break and fight back. Once his back was against the wall and he had nowhere to escape, she pressed her left fist against his stomach. She mentally commanded the helmet to collapse back into the suit. She wanted to look him in the eye as she finally did it.

"This is for JARVIS," she said, impaling him with the hidden blade in her forearm.

His eyes widened. He looked at Ana, and the wound in his stomach, then Ana again, as if he was struggling to believe she could actually do this.

"Behind you!" Her dad's warning made her turn her head, and she saw Barnes, preparing to hit her with the vibranium shield. She blasted it out of his hand, grabbed him by the throat, without letting Rogers go. He started struggling to break free from her grasp, but she was literally holding him at arm's length, and with one arm, there wasn't much he could do.

"Stay away from my daughter, you son of a bitch!" her dad roared.

"It's okay, Dad. I'll finish this." All she had to do was to use the power of the suit to stay put until Barnes was dead. After that, Rogers could bleed to death while looking at his friend's corpse. He was as good as dead anyway. There was a reason she had chosen to stab him in the stomach.

Barnes was still struggling madly.

"Even if you kill me, there's no way you can get help for Rogers in time. I've already won," she said to taunt him. The more he struggled, the sooner his lungs would run out of air.

Barnes' face was turning purple. It wouldn't be long now.

"Ana, please," Rogers said. "You're right,_ I_ killed JARVIS. It was me. Not Bucky. Let him go."

She nodded angrily. "Yeah. Now you know how it feels."

Barnes grunted loudly, made one more attempt to twist Ana's arm, and this time, he was succeeding. Panicked, she aimed for his face and fired the repulsor.

It happened so fast that there was no way to take it back. It was like trying to catch a bullet you had just fired. Barnes had moved aside just before the blast was shot, and it hit her dad instead. He was trying to come to her help.

"NO!" Ana let both super soldiers go, and ran to his side. His eyes were closed. His nose was bleeding. "Dad? Dad, can you hear me?"

"Brain hemorrhage detected," FRIDAY said. "He needs urgent medical attention."

"How much power do I have left?"

"85 percent."

It didn't sound so bad, considering all that fighting she had done. She could still teleport. The greatest trick she had up her sleeve would be exposed, but it didn't matter anymore. Nothing would matter if her dad died.

His eyes remained closed, but he was stirring now. "Go," he mumbled feebly. "If Ross finds out you're here…"

"I'm not leaving you." Ana pulled him to her lap protectively, pressed her lips against his temple, pretending to be kissing him, and whispered, "Helen's lab."

"The coordinates are set," FRIDAY announced.

"The shield," he whimpered. "Take the shield."

This confused Ana. "What?"

"He doesn't deserve it. My dad made it."

"Oh."

Well, he had a point. Besides, Ana might as well show some respect to her grandfather's legacy. Today, she had fought for him, too. She went to pick the shield up, along with her dad's broken helmet. It was the only solid proof that they had been here.

She looked at the monster who had made her hurt her dad one last time before leaving. It was almost physically painful, having to leave them here alive, even though Rogers was doomed, but if she had to make a choice between her dad and everything else, she chose the former. Always.

"Looks like we both lose," he said flatly, kneeling beside Rogers, but ready to fight in case Ana attacked anew, and probably wondering why she wasn't.

"You wish." She wrapped an arm around her dad as they were swallowed by the wormhole that would take them to Helen Cho's lab in Seoul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify, Steve is fatally injured, but don't worry, he'll live. I figured T'Challa can save him with a Kimoyo bead, like he saved Everett Ross in BP, even though they weren't shown in CW. Ana stabbing him was kind of important, because while what happens from now on won't be directly her fault, she will pretty much lose all her credibility in the eyes of most people (especially Daisy and Coulson) with this attempted murder. If you have been reading this as a bashing fic (like I told some readers before, I never write, or even read bashing fics myself, but if you want to treat this story as such, I don't mind it either), I hope you liked how I interpreted the Civil War storyline. If you're more of an "I want to see consequences!" type of reader, don't worry! Consequences are coming :)


	51. Chapter 51

Tony was no stranger to waking up in a hospital room. But never before had he woken up with so much remorse and guilt. The first thing he saw was Ana, standing by the large window on his left, and talking on the phone in a hushed voice. He recalled how close she had come to killing two supersoldiers on her own, and more importantly, how much he had wanted her to succeed. Back in Siberia, it had seemed almost poetic that the man who had choked his mom to death would be killed by her granddaughter in the same fashion two decades later.

Maybe he wouldn't feel so bad about it if he weren't such a hypocrite. When JARVIS had been killed, he was the reason Ana had let Rogers and the others get away with it for the greater good. He had forced her to bottle up all those emotions for more than a year, but when it was his turn to be selfless, he hadn't been able to restrain himself even for a second. It made him feel like shit.

Ana looked up from the floor while still on the phone, and smiled when their eyes met. "Thank you, Mr. Smith. Please keep me updated," she said hastily, hung up, and came to sit down by Tony's side. "Hey, Dad… How are you doing?"

"What happened?"

"I… I shot you, Dad. It was supposed to blow Barnes' head off, but he… I can't believe I hurt you!"

Yeah, he remembered that part. He wondered if Barnes had done it on purpose, to show what it felt like to be controlled by someone else, to be a puppet. Maybe he had a penchant for poetic justice, too. Or maybe, it was just a clever strategy. The only way Ana would have let them go was to make Tony's life her priority, and Barnes had done exactly that. "It wasn't your fault… Where are we?"

"U-GIN Labs. I had to teleport us here."

This confounded him. Also, after New York, he had kind of developed a phobia of portals, so the thought made him uneasy. But then, if he had to go through a portal, he would rather go through one created by his daughter. "I'm surprised there was enough power left in your suit for that."

"I'd added the Mind Stone element to the Arc Reactor. Did FRIDAY not tell you?"

"No, but I was kind of busy, so… When did it happen?"

"On the way home from Berlin. That's why I actually thought I could kill Maximoff."

"How can you be so brilliant and so stupid at the same time?"

She laughed, but it was a burst of sad laughter. "Honestly, I got no idea."

Tony patted on her hand. As usual, he was proud of her, and he didn't want the recent events to overshadow what she had achieved. "Good job, kid. Discovering an element is no easy feat."

"I've been talking to the lawyers. There's no way Ross can accuse us of breaking the law. It's our words against Zemo's, and—"

"Wait, Zemo is captured?"

"Yeah, T'Challa turned him over to the CIA. Turns out he was in Siberia, too."

"What about the, you know…"

"Officially, they're fugitives."

"Officially?" He was surprised to hear that Rogers was still alive, with his injury.

"Come on, Dad. Just put two and two together. They didn't bleed or freeze to death, which means they got out. There was only one other person who could have helped them."

"Are you saying T'Challa is hiding them?"

Ana shrugged. "Maybe he's feeling guilty for blaming the wrong guy."

"Maybe," he agreed.

"T'Challa is smart, though. I'm sure he knows he better keeps his mouth shut about our involvement, unless he wants us to start talking about the fugitives he's harboring."

Tony was relieved to see that his daughter wasn't planning to start an international crisis to hunt down Rogers. Ana liked having leverage on other people. Especially powerful people.

They remained silent as he processed the news. Then he said, "Well, we're on our own now, like you wanted. Why the long face?"

"I never wanted it to happen like _this_."

"I know." Yeah, it was stupid of him to expect Ana to celebrate the whole ordeal. She would never want him to get hurt.

"I'll let Helen know you're awake. She needs to take a look at you."

"I'm fine. Really, kid."

"I just want to make sure. You suffered a brain hemorrhage."

He smiled, and let her fetch Helen so that she could confirm that he was fine.

* * *

A few minutes later, Helen entered, alone. She seemed troubled.

"Hi, Tony."

"Hey. Sorry if this is a bit inconvenient. I wasn't expecting you to get involved."

"Well, I wasn't expecting two Starks to pop up in my lab, but here we are." She started by checking his eyes, then his pulse. "You seem fine, but I want you to stay here for a couple of days, just to be sure."

"How much did Ana tell you?"

She sighed heavily, and collapsed into the chair by the bed. "I'm sorry about your parents, Tony. I really am."

"But you still think I made a mistake?" Her attitude made that obvious.

"I remember the conversation you and Steve had after Ultron left the tower. What happened to the endgame, Tony? I thought it was more important to you than anything else. What you did in Siberia didn't help your parents; they're still dead. But the living needs the Avengers."

"So, Rogers wasn't wrong to lie to me? It's all my fault, as always, yeah…"

"Don't twist my words. If Steve were here, I'd tell him he was an idiot to have kept a secret like that from you. But you were the one who had the power to keep the team together, and you chose not to. It was your responsibility."

"_Your responsibility."_ There was no arguing with that. It was now up to him to protect the world.

"Maybe it's not too late," she added, this time more gently. "I mean, these Accords, they aren't exactly… practical. It won't take people too long to realize that. Maybe then…"

Even if a miracle happened and they scrapped the Accords, it wasn't going to change the fact that Rogers was a liar.

* * *

Tony was bored, but he wasn't looking forward to going back to the Compound either, so he had agreed to stay until he got an all-clear from Helen. Ana was out to get some food when his phone rang. A video call from Happy.

"Hey, Hap."

"Boss, what am I supposed to do with the kid? We're still in Germany."

Right, the kid… He had totally forgotten about the kid. Peter had to return to Queens. "Take him home. Where's he? I want to have a word with him."

The phone was immediately snatched from Happy's hands. "Mr. Stark!" Peter cried.

"Hey…"

Peter's face fell upon realizing where Tony was, though. "Oh, you're in a hospital… Are you okay, Mr. Stark?" he whispered this time.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. Listen, you did good in Leipzig. Do me a favor, though. Happy is kind of your point guy, so don't stress him out. Don't do anything stupid. I've seen his cardiogram. Alright?"

"Yes."

"Don't do anything I would do. And definitely don't do anything I wouldn't do. There's a little gray area in there, and that's where you operate."

"D—does that mean I'm an Av—"

"No."

"So, when's our next step? W—when is…"

"The next mission? We'll call you."

"Did you have my numbers?"

"No, I mean we'll call _you_. Like someone will call you."

"Oh."

"Alright. Until then, hide that case well. We wouldn't want Aunt May to find out now, do we?"

"Does that mean I can keep the suit?" he asked, beaming at him.

"Yeah, that's exactly what it means."

"He's been recording the whole thing," Happy broke in. "Do you want me to do something about it?"

"I won't show it to anyone! I can delete it if you want, and—"

"Is it like a video diary?" Tony asked.

"Yeah."

"It's cool. You can keep it."

"Thank you, Mr. Stark."

"Bye, kid."

Happy took the phone back. "Sir, where are you now?"

"In Seoul."

"Seoul? When did you get to Seoul?"

"We teleported. Long story."

"You can teleport?" Peter cried in the background. "That's awesome, Mr. Stark! I mean, everything you do is awesome, but I had no idea you could…"

Happy silenced him. "This is getting crazy… So, are you going to teleport back home, or…"

"No. Maybe. I don't know. I'll let you know if we need a ride." Because of that huge bruising on his chest, Ana was insisting that they should also pay Dr. Wu a visit before returning home. It had been a long time since the surgery, but once broken, some things were never as good as new.

"Understood, sir," Happy nodded, and hung up.

Tony was glad to have met Peter, even though he wished it had happened under different circumstances, like an actual internship or something. He missed having that kind of innocent enthusiasm around. He loved his daughter more than anything else in the world, and he would keep loving her even if she turned herself into a T-1000 or something, which, by the look of it, would eventually happen if they kept going like this, but there was the fact that having grown up as a Stark, Ana had lost her innocence a long time ago. She wouldn't hesitate to stab Captain America while looking him in the eye, telling him it was for JARVIS and then calmly discuss the best ways to avoid any consequences with the company lawyers afterwards. Peter, on the other hand, could goofily fanboy over the Avengers while shooting webs at them at the same time. It was refreshing to see a young one who was being a superhero for the sake of being a superhero, and oblivious to the political dynamics of that world. Funny, he hadn't even asked Tony what exactly he was signing up for. He had just followed him around like a puppy. And once again, Tony was feeling like a hypocrite, because he was also very glad Ana didn't have that kind of naivety. She might not be an innocent little girl, but at least she wasn't easily manipulated.

Five minutes later, Ana was back.

"How are you doing?"

"Still a bit groggy…"

"Yeah, that's from anesthesia. Will you be able to eat?"

She had brought him _bulgogi_ from his favorite restaurant in Seoul, by the look and smell of it. He propped himself up in the bed. "Well, I'm starving, and you're pampering me, so…"

She chuckled, helped him sit up, placed the bed tray in front of him, and served him his lunch. Then she pulled a chair to sit and began to eat from her own box.

They finished their meals in silence, then Ana cleaned everything up. In the meantime, something was breaking within Tony, as the memory of that footage came back to him. There was no anger this time. Only sadness, at the unfairness of it. When Ana's attention turned to him again, tears were running down his cheeks. Without a word, she came to him, to sit on the edge of the bed, and pulled him close. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, and let himself be shaken with sobs, sniffing like a little boy every now and then. He was no longer that vengeful man who was trying to kill the Winter Soldier. Just a desperate son who missed his mom and dad too much. Ana was just running a hand through his hair, gently rocking him back and forth. Tony had always tried to look strong for her, as he did for everyone else, friend and foe alike, but he no longer had the strength to put up a front. But then, he could now see that was unnecessary. Since Pepper no longer wanted him, Ana was the only person around whom he could be himself. He could bawl his eyes out if he wanted. There would be no judgment.

"They didn't deserve to die like that!" he cried.

"No, they didn't."

"Did I doom us all?"

"You're talking like you had a choice, Dad. Neither of us had a choice. Even if we'd walked away in peace somehow, we still would've been destroyed… in a different way."

"And I let you be destroyed like that... For far too long."

"No. I always had a choice. I knew nothing between us would have changed, no matter what I chose to do. How many people can say that about their fathers?"

"Yeah, nothing between us would've changed," he agreed. "Just the fate of the entire world."

"Don't give up just yet. We might still save the world. Maybe it will be even easier now."

Now that he had calmed down, Tony pulled himself back, rubbed his eyes, and decided to talk about something else. "Any word from Rhodey?"

"He's in Colombia Medical, as planned. I asked Helen about him, but she regenerates tissue. There's not much she can do about the nerves."

"Maybe we can build something for him. Are you up for it?"

"Yeah, sure."

It was always comforting, for both of them, to have a project on hand.

* * *

When it was time to go home, they teleported directly to the Compound. Officially, they had never been to Seoul, or Beijing.

Soon, Rhodey was discharged from the hospital. Tony lost no time fabricating the leg brace he had designed for him. It was hard, to watch Rhodey struggle to even stand on his feet, and Ana, reading a book on the couch, pretending very hard not to stare anxiously at them. Rhodey, too, was the kind of person who wouldn't want an audience while doing such things.

"Why don't we just use Extremis?" she suggested all of a sudden.

"Sweetie, you know the Accords have banned Extremis. It's too dangerous."

"Screw the Accords, you…" She paused guiltily when she saw the look on Rhodey's face. He and Vision were the only ones who had signed because they actually believed in the Accords. Tony was acting on partially guilt, and partially strategy because he knew when it was wise to play ball with governments. Ana was just on his side as usual. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"Give me some feedback," Tony said, to remind them that even without Extremis, this could be fixed. "Anything you can think of. Shock absorption, lateral movement… Cup holder?"

"You might want to think about some AC down in…" He lost his balance, and fell. Instinctively, Tony tried to hold him, but Rhodey refused.

"138. 138 combat missions. That's how many I've flown, Tony. Every one of them could've been my last, but I flew them. Because the fight needed to be fought. It's the same with these Accords. I signed them because it was the right thing to do. And yeah, this sucks. This, uh… This is a bad beat. But it hasn't changed my mind. I don't think." He looked at him with a sad smile.

Now knowing what else to do, Tony offered his hand. Rhodey got back on his feet.

"You okay?"

Rhodey nodded.

"Dad, someone's at the door…"

Indeed, someone was tapping on the glass. Tony turned around. An elderly delivery man asked, "Are you Tony… Stank?"

"Yes, this is… This is Tony Stank. You're in the right place. Thank you for that! Never dropping that, by the way. _Table for one, Mr. Stank. Please, by the bathroom…"_

At least he was in a good mood. Tony went to take the package, and decided to open it in the office. Ana, who had now taken over Tony's place to help Rhodey with his physical therapy session, shot him a suspicious look. She had a guess who had sent it. So did he.

* * *

Tony wished Steve hadn't sent that damn phone. His job would be much easier, then. He had let him free the rogues from the Raft, and he wasn't going to chase them, but that was all he could do without having to swallow his pride. Protecting the world was more important than his pride, true, but what if Ana was right? What if they could do it better on their own?

"Dad?"

"Come on in, kid… How's Rhodey?"

"He decided to take a break. I don't think there's anything wrong with the prosthesis itself. He just needs time to adjust. So, is Rogers still defending himself, or does he actually have any regrets?"

"He is… somewhere in between, I suppose." He gave her the letter.

Ana started reading it out loud:

_Tony,_

_I am glad you're back at the Compound. I don't like the idea of you and Ana rattling around a mansion by yourselves. We all need family. The Avengers are yours, maybe more so than mine. I have been on my own since I was 18. I never really fit in anywhere, not even in the Army. My faith is in people, I guess. Individuals. And I am happy to say, for the most part, they haven't let me down. Which is why I can't let them down either. Locks can be replaced. But maybe they shouldn't. I know I hurt you, Tony. I guess I thought, by not telling you about your parents, I was sparing you, but I can see now I was really sparing myself. And I know I hurt Ana, too. Only when I had to fight for Bucky, I truly understood her loss. I am sorry. I hope one day you understand me, too. I wish we agreed on the Accords, I really do. I know you are doing what you believe in, and that's all any of us can do. That's all any of us should. So, no matter what, I promise you, if you need us, if you need me, I will be there._

For a second, Tony thought she was going to tear it to pieces, but then, she just gave it back to him.

"He broke into the Raft. I just got a call from Ross. I won't go after them, kid. Please, do the same."

"Geez, life was a lot simpler while we were 'rattling around a mansion' by ourselves, wasn't it?"

"Ana…"

"Don't worry, I don't want any trouble."

"Good."

"Dad, I want to give you something."

"Okay."

She pulled out the Asgardian pendant from her pocket, and put it on the desk. "When we suspected Sigyn might have told your parents about HYDRA, we both assumed Grandpa Stark had chosen to turn a blind eye. We were wrong about him. If you want to confront Sigyn…"

He thought for a moment. Yeah, he wanted to know. He had to. He took the pendant into his hands, and thought of Sigyn. This was how it worked, right?

"Tony?"

He hadn't seen her in years. It was just Ana who maintained contact with her. She had told him that the Sakaaran fashion was absurd, but he didn't think it would be _this_ bad. "Didn't expect to hear from me?"

"To be honest, no. Is everything alright? You look… weary. You both do."

"They knew, didn't they?"

"Excuse me?"

"My parents knew about HYDRA. You told them. That's why they died." All that rage Tony had for Rogers was now directed at this woman. "Why? Why couldn't you just keep your mouth shut?"

"I did, for a time. Then Howard gave me a great gift. Something I'd wanted for more than a millennium. A chance to become a great warrior."

"The super soldier serum, he tested it on you…" Well, it all made sense now. That was the real debt she kept talking about. As a human-Asgardian hybrid, Sigyn wasn't strong enough to keep up with other Asgardians, not without the serum.

"There were risks," she continued. "Howard said it could kill me. So, I told him what I knew before the procedure. I survived, but… He decided to take the remaining five doses to the Pentagon. I read the autopsy reports, I tried to put the pieces together, but I still don't know how exactly HYDRA killed them."

"I do. They sent the Winter Soldier after them. I saw the footage. Dad didn't beg for his own life. He begged him to help Mom instead. He recognized Sergeant Barnes. Then he got punched to death. Barnes put him back in his seat, then went to Mom's side. She was calling out Dad's name the whole time. Barnes choked her to death. That's what happened. And it happened because you were a nosy bitch."

The words were like venom on his mouth, bitter and painful. He had to spit them out. The tormented expression on Sigyn's face made a ridiculous contrast with her brightly colored dress and silly ponytail. She looked like a clown, and a very tragic one at that.

"I'm so sorry, Tony."

"Are you?"

"They were my family, too."

"Tell me, is it just coincidence, or is it the serum that makes you such despicable liars? Is it like an adverse effect or something? Because Captain America lied to my face, too. At least he did it to protect his friend, no matter how twisted of an excuse that was… What's yours?"

"To protect you."

"Really? How thoughtful…"

"Do you know who else lied to you? Mr. Jarvis."

"Don't you dare speak Jarvis' name!" he spat.

"Edwin Jarvis was the most honorable man in the Nine Realms. And even he knew keeping the truth from you was the right thing to do."

"Turn this off," he told Ana. "I can't bear to see her face."

But Ana didn't have to do anything. The projection disappeared, probably cut off by Sigyn herself. Coward.

"Feeling better now?" Ana asked him softly.

"I think so," he lied.


	52. Chapter 52

"_Who is Quake?"_

Looking at the headline of the _Daily Courier_, Ana sighed. "I told you, Jemma, I was able to contact her only once, she was still bitter about the Accords. And 'bitter' is an understatement, believe me. You guys have a better chance finding her."

In the aftermath of Siberia, Ana had found herself in a more clear-headed state of mind, and was ready to make amends, this time genuinely. Earning Daisy's forgiveness would be a good place to start. Daisy's boyfriend, Lincoln had died, and she and Ana had yet another thing to be kindred spirits about. Only, because of the Accords, Daisy didn't even want to see her. But then, word had it she had been avoiding everyone these days. It made sense, sort of. The surest way not to lose anyone close to you was to have no one close to you at all.

Jemma huffed. "I see. Coulson is trying, but he's not the Director anymore. Things are different around here now."

"I can get the government to give her some breathing room. I got connections. It's the least I can do."

"Well, it would be a relief to know she won't be shot on sight. Thanks."

"Let me know if anything happens. Bye."

"Goodbye, Ana." Simmons hung up.

Ana sighed. It looked like a business trip to DC was in order. Time to ask Ross for that immunity…

"Ana," FRIDAY said. "Ms. Potts is here."

_Damn_. What the hell was Potts doing at the Compound? "Where?"

"Upstairs, with your father."

"I'll stay out of there, then. Thanks for the heads-up, FRIDAY."

"It wasn't a warning. She wants to see you."

"Tell her no, and lock my door."

Ana knew she had accused Pepper Potts of things she should never have, but she didn't think she could fully forgive her either. The metaphorical firewalls she had built around herself didn't let that. FRIDAY didn't say anything, but Ana heard the lock click. She started packing, and five minutes later, someone knocked.

"Ana?" her dad asked. "Can I come in?"

She smiled. He could command FRIDAY to unlock the door, but he would never break into Ana's room like that. "Let him in, FRI."

He entered, and his gaze caught the suitcase on the floor. "Going somewhere?"

"A business trip… kind of. To DC."

He cocked an eyebrow suspiciously.

"It's not about _her_," Ana assured him, and showed him the newspaper. "I'll go to Mr. Secretary, and ask him to leave Daisy be."

"Or, you can just have a video conference with him."

"Talking to him in person is better. The guy's old-school."

He snorted. "Come on, kid. You know how he is. He's not just going to do you a favor."

"Daisy is my friend. I have to at least try."

"Is she, though?"

He was right to be skeptical. The last time they had talked, Daisy had said JARVIS had never been Ana's true love or anything, that she was incapable of love. _"You were only with him because you're a stuck-up bitch who thinks she's too good for humans,"_ she had said.

"We all say things we don't mean every once in a while. I know I've done wrong by Daisy. I've supported the Accords, knowing Inhumans will be tagged like stray animals, even if they don't want to do anything with their powers, and it will make things a lot easier for hate groups like those Watchdogs. That's exactly what's happening right now. I have to make things right to see if Daisy is truly my friend or not."

"Well said… Will you come home afterwards?"

"Is Potts here to stay?" she asked, but the answer was written all over his face. He looked like a kid at Christmas.

"Yeah. We're… back together. And she missed you, too."

"Well, the feeling isn't mutual."

"So, you're ready to forgive Daisy, but not Pepper? That's not fair."

"It's not the same thing. I never wronged Potts, at least not until she wronged me first."

"Come on, Ana. This is Pepper we're talking about. You can't _Potts _her forever."

"Sure I can," she said, slamming the suitcase shut and zipping it up.

"Ana, please. Go help your friend if you want, but then come home."

"I'm not a kid, Dad. I never moved out on you before, because we're a good team, and we're incredibly lucky to have what we have. But if you want a new family, we're going to have to make a different arrangement."

He sighed, looking torn. "Don't do this to me, honey. Don't make me choose."

She held his hands. "I'm not making you choose. We'll still be a team. Maybe I'll go back to Malibu, or Long Island, if you want me in New York. But I can't live under the same roof with her."

"_Ana…"_

Her whole body tensed when she heard Potts' voice. "Stay out of my room."

Potts didn't listen, and walked in with a shy smile. "I know I failed you both, Ana. I'm so sorry. But I'm here now."

"Why? To tuck your tail between your legs and run—again—the next time something goes wrong?"

"To be a family. When I heard the bombing in Vienna, and then what happened in Siberia… It made me realize I could never live without either of you."

"Too little, too late."

"I'm not expecting forgiveness right away. Just give me a second chance, that's all."

"Look, just because you're my dad's girlfriend doesn't mean you have to be anything to me. I'm too old for step-mothers. If you want kids, go ahead and pop out a whole soccer team of them. I couldn't care less."

"But _I_ do. I care so much about you."

"Then where were you when I needed you? I begged you! I even called you Mom! You just left."

"I was angry with Tony. I shouldn't have taken that anger out of you."

"But you did. You punished me because I was his daughter… Guess who else did it first? Yeah, you're no better than Irene."

Potts squeezed her eyes shut, and tears fell. They didn't mean anything to Ana. She grabbed the suitcase and stormed out.

* * *

Ross wasn't happy to see her. He was even less happy when he found out the infamous Quake was Ana's best friend.

"You owe me, Ross," she said, with her most entitled attitude. "Maximoff is free."

"Only because your father let them go."

"You asked me to convince him to sign the Accords. He signed the Accords. I fulfilled my end of the bargain. You didn't."

"Well, find your friend and convince her to sign, too. Then we can negotiate. You can't ask me to ignore the most infamous vigilante in the country. We made the Accords because people needed to feel safe! They don't feel safe when Johnson is out there."

"Daisy is one of the good guys. She has more decency than you, or me. She's looking out for the innocent. Let her do her thing."

"Enlighten me, how is robbing a bank looking out for the innocent? Why didn't she come to you if she needed the money so badly?"

"We haven't had the chance to discuss the details, but I don't think that incident was about the money."

"Or, she's been avoiding you because you support the Accords. She won't cooperate, will she? The Sokovia Accords are the law now. If she's not on the side of the law, she's a criminal. Simple as that."

Ross was done with her, she could see. She stood up. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Secretary." She made for the door, but two guards blocked it.

"I didn't say you could leave," Ross said coldly.

Ana turned around to face him. "Are you going to arrest me? For what, exactly?"

"Oh, I know I can't arrest you. You're a sneaky little bitch who hides her secrets too well. But Tony? I have more than enough reason to keep him locked up in a cell at the Raft for the rest of his life. Disobeying direct orders, assisting known fugitives, just to name a few…"

Ana's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't bluffing. "What do you want?" Whatever it was, she had no choice but to do it.

"Come."

They walked out of the office, Ross leading the way, and his guards dragging her along. Ana knew resisting would only make things worse, so she didn't.

"I know you two were in Siberia," he started. "I can't prove it, but I know it." He opened a door.

It was a lab. There were five cryo chambers in the room, with the five dead Winter Soldiers from Siberia. "They were injected with the supersoldier serum. The one Howard invented. That's why HYDRA killed him, right? What a damn shame… Don't look at me like that, you're not the only one who has sources."

"I'm still trying to understand what you want from me."

"Why, your grandfather's formula, of course!"

_Shit_. Even after all these years, even though he wasn't in the military anymore, he was still obsessed with super soldiers. "Don't you have scientists to analyze their blood samples?"

"None of them was able to reverse-engineer the formula."

"What about your daughter? She's an expert at cellular biology, right?"

"Do not bring her into this."

"I'm not threatening. I'm just saying, this is not my area of expertise. You're wasting your time."

"Hah," he scoffed.

"Ross, I'm serious! It's not safe for me to do this! Have you forgotten what happened to Banner?"

"If you fail, Tony ends up in that cell you meant for the Maximoff girl. And when you try to break him out, I'll put you in a cell right next to his. No lawyers, no trials. And I don't think Rogers will bother to save you two. Am I right?"

Ana made no reply.

"So, don't fail." He turned to his guards. "Search her. Confiscate everything. Give her new clothes as well. She can't keep anything she's brought here with her."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

The following 72 hours were a total nightmare. She couldn't sleep. They gave her food, but she was so stressed out that her stomach couldn't hold it. Not even water. Sometimes she had a breakdown and cried her eyes out in a corner of the lab, where she worked alone, in total isolation. The guards didn't do anything about it. After she calmed down, she continued working. Sometimes, they forced her to call her dad. She had to convince him that she was okay. That was how she had learned he and Pepper had got engaged during a press conference. A part of her was happy for him, but she had to pretend like she was postponing her return because of Pepper, and ruin his happiness.

At some point, she passed out.

The second 72-hour period was easier. She could now eat, the mental breakdowns ceased, and she could take occasional naps. Finally, a formula was ready to be tested on human subjects. A dozen rats had been sacrificed to the cause, but the job was done… hopefully.

"Are you sure this will work?" Ross asked skeptically.

"I've done everything I could." It was the truth.

"We'll see."

Ana fell down on her knees to beg him. It was humiliating, yes, but she felt too exhausted to be proud right now. "If it fails, do whatever you want to me. I deserve it. But leave my father be. He's a good man."

"Get up."

When she didn't, the guards made her.

"Let's begin."

She looked around, confused. "Where are the subjects?"

He shed his jacket, and his tie. "_I_ am the subject. So, I'm asking you again: Will it work?"

She gasped in shock. He wanted the formula for himself… Ana hadn't seen _that_ coming. But it didn't change anything, so she said, "As I said, I've done everything I could."

"I'm not a fool. I know I'm getting old. I just want more time with my daughter. Is that wrong?"

"No, sir," she said meekly, fearing to offend him.

"Good."

His other scientists came in, and took a look at the serum. They said it was good enough. They strapped Ross to a bed, and injected him with the blue liquid. Ana was waiting, heart in her mouth.

"How are you feeling, sir?" one asked.

"It stings a bit, but that's expected, right?"

Ana nodded in confirmation. The experiment continued. She was counting every second. Things were fine at first. Twenty minutes later, something started going very, very wrong. Ross started having seizures, and his skin was turning red. An unnaturally bright shade of red. His muscles were becoming larger. Soon, he was free of his restraints.

"Seal the room!" Ana cried. The guards obeyed.

"What did you do?" one of them asked, shaking her.

He seemed like a reasonable guy, though. And he was there from the start. "I warned him! He was mad, you saw it!

He let her go. "What can we do?" he asked, this time more respectfully.

"Evacuate the building, the neighborhood… And give me a phone."

He did. Ana called her dad as she ran to the nearest exit like everybody else around her.

"Dad, it's me."

"Kid? What's up?"

"I need you to come here. Bring Vision, too. I think I might have created something terrible. And I don't know how to stop it."

"What? Ana, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I gotta go now. Just know this: Everything I did, I did it to protect you. I'm so sorry." She hung up, and kept running.

* * *

She was watching it from a distance as Ross, now basically a red Hulk, tore the government building down. She knew not everyone was as lucky. People were dying. No one had told her anything, she just knew it.

It took fifteen minutes for her dad and Vision to show up. Rhodey was with them, too. She was hiding behind an abandoned SUV when someone came out of nowhere, and took her further away from the scene. When she tried to look, she saw that it was that spider-kid, swinging from building to building. She had thought she was comfortable with flying by now, but this was different.

"You…"

"Hey, Ms. Stark! I'm Peter, Peter Parker."

"Where are we going?"

"Mr. Stark told me to take you to safety."

"Well, I'm safe now, can we just land somewhere?"

"Oh, sorry." He landed on a rooftop.

Ana swayed on her feet for a moment, but then managed to go and sit down on the edge of the building. The kid removed his mask. He looked even younger than Ana had imagined.

"Hey!" he said again excitedly. "So, I'm Peter, like I said, I don't know if Mr. Stark told you anything about me, but I'm from Queens, I go to Midtown High, I—"

Ana shut her eyes wearily. She wasn't in the mood for small talk. "Yeah, yeah, whatever…"

Peter went quiet immediately, and Ana realized she was being an asshole to the poor kid for no reason. She opened her eyes. "I'm sorry, Peter. I'm not good with kids… or, with people in general."

He sat down next to her. "It's okay. You're having a bad day."

Even from here, she could hear the Red Hulk roar, and people scream in panic. "Yeah, there's that, too."

"I'm sure Mr. Stark, Colonel Rhodes, and Vision can handle it. I mean, I saw them in Germany, it was crazy… You weren't there, though."

"I'm not an Avenger."

"Neither am I."

"Dad probably didn't want a bloodbath. Unlike you, I would've fought to kill."

He gave her a questioning look, but didn't ask for the details. If she had to guess, she'd say that her dad had warned him not to be too nosy around her. But she felt like she owed the kid some kindness.

"Thank you, for looking out for him when I was too unstable to do it myself properly."

"Ms. Stark?"

"Ana," she corrected him.

"Ana. You know Quake, right?"

This puzzled her. "What? Is Daisy here, too?"

"Oh, no… I saw you two once, in Queens. I didn't know who she was back then, of course, but…"

She recalled her meeting with Daisy in Queens. The boy had a good memory. "Yeah. Daisy and I met before SHIELD collapsed. We go way back."

"She's not bad, though, right? I mean, she helps people?"

"That's what I was trying to tell Ross."

"Did Secretary Ross force you to create that thing?"

"Kid, that thing _is _Secretary Ross."

"Oh." He gave her a pitying _"You're so screwed" _look. And he was right. She was definitely screwed.

* * *

The hotel room was quiet, but Ana was still shaking, this time because the reality had finally sunk in. She hadn't seen her dad since they had come here. Rhodey had said he was off to sort out the bureaucratic stuff. Vision refused to even speak with her after she had told them about the deal she had made with Ross.

When her dad finally came in, he didn't bother to knock. There were fresh bruises on his face. But his eyes were the worst. They looked like they were struggling to recognize Ana.

"Congratulations," he said coldly. "You're off the hook. The witnesses testified on your behalf."

"How many of them did you have to bribe?"

He collapsed into an armchair across from her. "At least I had to bribe them to tell the truth. That's my only consolation in this mess."

"I'm so sorry, Dad."

"You _should_ be sorry. I'm not taking the blame for this one. It's all on you. I can't believe I'm saying this, but… You're not as smart as you think you are. Going behind my back, striking secret deals with Ross… What did you think would happen?"

"I'd never thought he could threaten me with _you_!"

"That's the other thing. He couldn't have done shit to me once the government found out he was supervising an unauthorized experiment. You should've called his bluff."

"It was a risk I couldn't have taken."

"And you made a terrible mistake instead."

"I'll do anything to fix it. Just tell me what to do."

He let out a deep, thoughtful sigh. "Well, apologizing to Pepper would be a good start. Do you know how much you hurt her?"

"Okay. I'll apologize. What else?"

"Are there any other secret deals I should know about? If there are, now is your chance to tell me."

"No," she lied instinctively. She should probably tell him about the Darkhold. Her dad couldn't know, though. He couldn't know about such a dangerous book. She couldn't tell him about Charles Hinton either. She couldn't tell him it was seeing her own death that had made her so volatile and irascible. Of course she wanted to be honest with him, but that would break him. She couldn't destroy him like that just because she wanted to ease her conscience.

"Are you sure?"

"I am."

"We'll leave in the morning. Let me know if you change your mind until then."

"Okay." She wasn't going to change her mind. Gosh, he knew she was lying. He also knew that she knew he knew it.

"Oh, and one more thing…" He took something out of his pocket. "Damage Control found this in the debris."

It was her grandmother's necklace. It had been confiscated, along with everything else.

"I can't have it, Dad. I lied to you. I'm no better than Rogers. If he doesn't deserve your dad's shield, then I don't deserve this necklace."

"Steve Rogers is not my kid. You are." He came to put the necklace on her. "After Ultron, you were a bit harsh on me because you wanted the father you knew back. And you were right. The Avengers were good and all, but I had to remember how to do things on my own every now and then. You opened my eyes. Now, I'm trying to open yours. Because I want my baby girl back, too."

Ana nodded, but the lump in her throat didn't let her say anything. He gave her a gentle hug before leaving.

* * *

Later that night, after receiving a call from Fury himself, Ana made up her mind. There was only one way for her to redeem herself. She started by writing a letter to her dad.

_Dad,_

_I'm sorry I cannot come to New York with you. It's not because I'm avoiding Pepper. I'll apologize to her when I see her. It was wrong of me to deny her forgiveness while I was asking the same thing from everyone else. It's not because I'm avoiding you either. I love you. But I am what I am, and for that, I can't be the family you deserve. I'm just an obstacle on your path to happiness. Something is wrong with me. I don't know what it is. But I know it's not your fault. You gave me everything. It's not your fault that I don't deserve to have it. I can't go back to my old life until I become a better person. Don't worry about me, I'll be careful. Congratulations on the engagement, by the way. It's a shame we never got to talk about it, but I'm happy for you. Goodbye._

She left the letter on the bed, and walked out of the hotel. The SHIELD base wasn't very far from here.

She knew someone would let her in when she approached the hangar door. It turned out to be Agent May. Even if she was surprised to see Ana, her face was impossible to read.

"Is this about Daisy?" was the first thing she asked.

"No. On that, I'm as clueless as you are. This is about me."

"What do you need?"

"A job, and a place to stay."

May's eyes lingered on the small suitcase Ana was carrying for a moment, then she curtly gestured her to follow her. Ana did. Ironically enough, the only path to redemption was through infiltrating SHIELD.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Red Hulk was something I just wanted to use from the comics, I hope it wasn't too OOC for Ross. Ugh, coming back to this chapter, especially to the part where Ana said she wouldn't care about the kids Pepper might have was hard, especially all those Morgan and Ana moments I wrote :'(
> 
> On the bright side, I'm super-excited for Ana's redemption arch, which includes the Darkhold and the Ghost Rider from AoS. I can't believe it's been more than 170k words already! I'm grateful to every single reader who's invested THAT much time into this story, and I promise the redemption arch is the second craziest, most intense part of the story, after the Infinity War, AKA the "Earth's last day" bit, obviously. AoS Season 4 is a bit trickier to explain, but what really matters is Ana's time in a certain place, where she will be on her own, and it's 100% not canon, so don't worry too much about not being familiar with the show. As for her reasons to "infiltrate" SHIELD, I kept that part ambiguous on purpose. That will be explained in Chapter 55.


	53. Chapter 53

Being a SHIELD agent wasn't that bad. Director Mace was okay. Fitz-Simmons did their best to help her feel welcome on the Playground. Even May had become less unfriendly after finding out Ana had been busy sticking out her neck for Daisy in DC. Coulson was still upset about Steve Rogers becoming a fugitive, but he was barely on the base these days anyway.

In the meantime, as expected, she had received countless apology e-mails from her dad. And two days ago, she had received blueprints for a nanotech-suit, with a note begging her to use them. So, she had. They had been working on it before, but Wakanda sharing their knowledge with the rest of the world must have sped things up for her dad. This morning, she wanted to call him and let him know she had built the suit. She had only fifteen minutes left before her shift started, so she tried not to waste too much time vacillating and pressed the call button.

"K—kid?"

Ana smiled. He had caught him unprepared. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey… It's… it's great to hear your voice."

"I called to thank for the blueprints. I used them. In fact, Mark L is on my chest right now."

A deep breath of relief came from the other end of the line. "It feels good, right? To have a self-repairing suit with you at all times?"

"Absolutely."

"Ana?"

"Yeah?"

"Come home."

"I can't."

"Look, I think you misunderstood me. You're my baby girl, no matter what you do. And I hate to put it this way, but… What happened to making the most of the time we have?"

"I'm trying to make sure you won't waste that time trying to fix me. I want you to be happy with Pepper."

"I can't be happy, knowing I led you to think you need to redeem yourself by doing who knows what."

"I'm not doing anything dangerous, I swear. I know you can't afford to lose me, Dad. I'd never do that to you."

"You're looking for the four remaining Infinity Stones, aren't you? You want to complete the Nexus? That's your idea of redemption?"

"I'm not _actively_ looking for them. But if I got a lead on another one, yeah, I'd chase it." She wasn't very hopeful, though. The Nexus wasn't what she was here for anyway. She had got what she had come for, now she was just trying to make amends.

"And SHIELD is your best bet?"

"What?" Did he already know where she was?

"Their 'secret' base is not too far from DC. That's where you went when you left the hotel. Come on, honey. You think you can outsmart_ me_?_"_

"Dad…"

"I'm not going to come over there and make a scene, don't worry. I want to do this the right way."

"Thanks, Dad. But I gotta go now." Tears were pooling in her eyes. She was going to need time to calm down.

"Okay."

"Take care."

"Or, you can come home and take good care of me yourself," he suggested casually. "No pressure, though. Whenever you're ready."

"Bye, Dad. I love you."

"I love you more."

* * *

Ana liked the job here as an engineer. The other engineers would mind their own business, and the machines wouldn't give a shit about her puffy red eyes, or paler than usual face. Today, it was different, though. Something was going on in LA, Daisy was involved, so Coulson and Mack had gone to investigate, but Zephyr One was back in the hangar by the time Ana went there to start her daily rounds. It was more crowded than usual.

"Hey, Stark!" someone said. "They need you in the lab."

"Do you know why?"

She shrugged. "They've brought some piece of tech from LA. Fitz-Simmons want you to take a look."

Ana went to the lab. She spotted some kind of box on Fitz's desk, but his eyes were fixated on her chest. "What kind of an Arc Reactor is that?" he asked.

"The nanotech kind."

"So, that's why you were burning the midnight oil."

"Yep." She took the housing unit off and tossed it at him, so that he and Jemma could take a better look. "How's Radcliffe doing?"

Dr. Holden Radcliffe and SHIELD had had a rough start. He had been kidnapped by Hive and forced to recreate the original Kree experiment to turn humans into Inhumans. He had failed, and there had been a hearing, but all charges against him had been dropped. He was also associated with a group of people that called themselves Transhumanists. They were basically a cult, but a cult that sought to improve the human body through cybernetic enhancements. When Fitz-Simmons had introduced Ana to Radcliffe, he had said Ana Stark was like an idol to the Transhumanists, mostly because of her relationship with JARVIS. They all genuinely hoped she would get him back one day. It had felt great at first, to know that they actually had fans out there. Validating. But soon, the conversation had taken a weird turn, when Radcliffe had implied that what the Transhumanists were really looking forward to was a human-android hybrid baby Ana would give birth to. Ana had simply reminded him that because the Accords had forbidden any experiments on AIs and androids, there was no way for her to get JARVIS back, let alone give him a body, and left it at that. She had been trying to avoid Radcliffe since then. Validation was nice and all, but she didn't want JARVIS' memory to be tainted by nosy people either.

As for Fitz-Simmons, they had almost been adopted by Radcliffe. Fitz had visited him again last night. Ana and Jemma had been invited as well, but the former had used the new suit project as an excuse, and the latter had been busy with the Director's usual errands.

"Still working on the Framework," Fitz replied. "You know how he is."

"Show-off…" Mack joined the conversation, snatching the housing unit from Fitz.

Ana laughed. "Don't get jealous now, Mack. It's a gift… kind of."

"From your dad? So, you guys talk now?" He was beaming at her. For some reason, Mack really wanted Ana to make peace with her father and go home, even though he obviously liked having her around. Alphonso Mackenzie wasn't a member of Coulson's original team, he had joined much later, but Daisy had always said Mack was like a big brother to her, and Ana was starting to see why. He really cared about his teammates.

"I called him this morning."

He gave the housing unit back to her, and patted on her shoulder. "It was about damn time."

Ana turned back to Fitz. "So, I heard you brought a souvenir from LA…"

Fitz nodded. "Yeah, yeah… Take a look at this, and tell me what you see."

Ana looked at the box again. "Is this the part where I'm supposed to make a Schrodinger's cat joke?"

"I already did that," Jemma said.

"You know, it's nice to have an American genius around here for a change," Mack teased.

"Hate to break it to you, but I'm half-British… unofficially. My mother was British, and I was born in London, so…" She had come to terms with her maternal background enough to joke about it.

To her amusement, Fitz-Simmons high-fived upon hearing that. "Now, take a look at this," Fitz said. Using a special light outside the visible spectrum, he reversed the phase and revealed the quantum mechanics within the box.

Ana gasped. This could be the most sophisticated piece of technology she had ever seen. And considering she was someone who had access to both Stark Industries and SHIELD tech, that was saying something. "So, the local gangs were after _this_? Do they even know what this is? Do _we_?"

"We think it was designed to contain something."

"What?"

"A ghost," Mack replied.

"Okay…" She returned to the couple for a more scientific explanation.

"Let's just show her," Jemma said, giving her a tablet.

She played the footage. At first, it just looked like some gang members doing business. Nothing unusual. But when the box was opened, Jemma paused the video and zoomed in on something behind the gang leader. A woman with an incorporeal form, and a familiar face.

_Can it be possible_, she wondered. Could she be this lucky, to find hope, when she was in such a dark place? Or would this be yet another dead end?

"See?" Mack asked. "Ghost."

"Well, I don't know about ghosts, but I know this woman!"

"You do?"

"Her name's Lucy Bauer. I used to be her intern."

"Where?"

"Momentum Labs, Pasadena."

"Pasadena?" Mack snatched the tablet to look at something. "The family that checked into the ER? They live in Pasadena."

"What family?" Ana asked, confused.

"Your former boss is haunting people… I'll requisition a Quinjet for us."

"Yeah, I'm coming, too," Fitz said. "Simmons can't."

"I'm stuck here with an assignment for the Director."

"Seriously?" Mack asked in disbelief.

"Oh, you know… '_A team that trusts is a team that triumphs_,'" she quoted mockingly. Jeffrey Mace wasn't exactly everyone's favorite director.

"What is it he got you doing?"

"Oh, that's the best bit: My expertise is needed here for a _tour_."

"I'll come," Ana offered, still trying to process the information on Dr. Bauer. "It's been a while, but I know my way around the facility. I can help."

Mack grinned. "Maybe we even see that fancy suit in action."

"Gosh, I hope not…"

"You don't have to come," Fitz said. "I know you're not very comfortable about being on the field."

"That's not an issue anymore. My dad knows I work here."

"Does he? Since when?"

"I think he knew it from the start. But he doesn't have a problem with it. He and Rhodey saved President Ellis' life once, you know. So, he owes them a favor. If Dad didn't want me to be here, he would've just called the President, the President would've called Director Mace, and Mace would've kicked me out. I'd have no choice but to go home."

"Man, royalty sounds exhausting…" Mack shook his head, and left to get a Quinjet.

* * *

By the time they got to the Momentum Lab, the power was down. Something had overloaded the grid, and whatever it was, they had to find it to get the power back on. Mack told her to suit up. She was reluctant, because once she did that, she would be responsible for their lives. But then, if something went wrong, and she failed to protect them because she hadn't activated the suit, that would be on her, too. If you had a gift, you had to do something with it eventually. So, she tapped on the Arc Reactor, and the nanites formed another blue-and-bronze suit around her body.

"Jemma likes the color scheme," Fitz said.

"Go Ravenclaw, yay…" She scanned the area. This would be easier if she had FRIDAY with her, but FRIDAY would report everything that would happen here to her dad, so it wasn't an option. She had to manage without a user interface. "Guys, I detect a huge electric field."

"Where?" Mack asked.

Ana decided to take the lead. "Upstairs. Follow my lead."

"Any idea what it might be?" Fitz asked.

"No. I don't even know where that alloy they used for the box came from. As far as I know, no one worked on anything like that while I was here." _But they were looking for a magic book of infinite knowledge…_

"Creepy," Fitz commented.

"Ever noticed we were never get to check upon a brightly lit place, filled with nice, friendly people?"

As she neared the center of the electric field, the tablet in Fitz's hand beeped. "Mack," he whispered. "Looks like a short electrical transient set off a quick current spike, other side of that door."

"Yeah, I'm picking up similar readings, too," Ana confirmed.

Mack readied his shotgun ax, but it was easier for Ana to break the lock with a single punch. The two men entered after her. There was some kind of reactor in the room. The HUD scanned it automatically, but was unable to identify its purpose, or even most of the components.

"I guess you didn't know about this either, did you?" Fitz mumbled in awe.

It was true. The Bauers and their employees were smart, but not exceptionally smart. Fury had once said the Darkhold couldn't show you something you couldn't comprehend. And if it had shown the Bauers this, Ana couldn't help but wonder what it was going to show _her_.

"Oh, boy… Guys, we have a big problem. The reactor terminal is—" Another "ghost" appeared out of nowhere. Mack shot at him, and he disappeared.

"Great… This guy disappears. I hate these guys."

Fitz pulled out a gun, too. "Where did he go? You think you scared him off?"

"I don't think the weapons will work on him. Maybe we can talk to him," Ana suggested.

Both looked at her in utter disbelief.

"Fitz, the reactor is overloading. You shut it down, I'll talk to him."

Fitz returned to the computers. "You know that one?" Mack asked.

"No, but I think he worked here, too."

The ghost appeared again. Mack tried to hit him, but all he was able to hit was one of the pipes instead.

"He must have set the reactor to blow," Fitz said.

"What are we talking about, blowing up the building?"

"No, it could be a couple of city blocks."

"Then what are you talking to me for, man! Shut it down!"

"You're the one who keeps asking me questions! I would've shut it down—"

While they were busy arguing, the man appeared for the third time, pushed Mack into the reactor, and locked the door.

"Ana, don't touch him!" Fitz reminded when Ana attempted to intervene, and she decided to keep her distance. Whatever it was the "ghosts" infected people with, it might permeate the suit.

"We can help you," Fitz told him.

"You can't," he said, and disappeared again.

Fitz returned to shutting down the reactor, Ana freed Mack. The door was jammed, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.

"Thanks, Ana," he said, stepping out.

"You shouldn't have attacked that guy. Now he's pissed."

"You think you can reason with him?"

"Yeah."

"Well, by all means…"

She looked around, and the helmet retracted back into the suit. "Hello," she started gingerly. She had to take a calculated risk. "My name is Ana Stark. I used to be an intern here. You're right; my friends here can't help you. But I can. I know a lot about this place. I might even know why you want to destroy it. This is about the book, right?"

Mack gave her a questioning look, but she shrugged. She was going to have to explain later.

The man appeared right before her. He seemed intrigued. "Did Lucy tell you about the book?"

"Of course," she lied. "She trusted me. She wanted me to be a part of her plan, but I didn't believe her at first. I do now. If you just tell me what went wrong—"

But contrary to what she had expected, this only enraged him. "Lucy sent me to Hell! Maybe I should send you!"

Instinctively, she shot at him, but it did nothing. Ducking, pirouetting, side-stepping, she was dodging him, but there was nowhere to run.

Suddenly, someone else grabbed him from behind and pulled him away. He seemed equally confounded by the fact that he couldn't escape this new guy's grasp.

"What are you?" Ana gasped.

The new one's eyes blazed, and he looked at Ana just for a split second, but it was more than enough for her to realize that they had a connection. Then his head turned into a flaming skull as he bellowed in what seemed like rage, and he burned the ghost to ashes.

"Yeah, what are you?" Fitz repeated the question.

"Fitz, the reactor!" she remembered. It still hadn't been shut down. The computers were giving a critical core warning. If it exploded, Ana wouldn't be able to get everyone out in time.

As he turned the reactor off, someone else entered the room. Daisy. But she didn't seem surprised to see a guy with a fiery skull. It was more like she had followed him here.

The reactor died. "It's done," Fitz announced.

The skull guy didn't speak to any of them. He just snatched a picture from the wall, and walked away. Ana went after him.

"Hey!"

He stopped, and turned to face her. This could be the creepiest experience she had ever had, to make eye contact with someone who had no eyes. Nevertheless, curiosity prevailed. Besides, if he wanted her dead, she would probably be dead by now. Even in Mark L. "You know me… How?"

He walked up to Ana, and said, "Stay. Away." It was definitely not the voice of a human being. There was something protective about it, but it still sent shivers down her spine. She was proud of herself for keeping the determined eye contact, though.

"I asked you a question!"

Without another word, he stormed off. Ana had felt the heat from the flames around the skull on her face for a moment, when they had come so close to licking the skin as he had turned around.

"Ana, don't," Daisy stopped her from going after him. "You don't want to piss this one off, believe me."

In an awkward silence, they returned to the Quinjet. Daisy's arm was fractured, so Mack offered to help her with that. Daisy didn't resist, meaning she was in a lot of pain.

"There. Is that too tight?" Macked asked her softly once he was done

Daisy said nothing.

"So, that fire-headed Inhuman…"

"He's not an Inhuman. I'm not sure what he is."

"I am. He is a killer. That truck heist in LA, three people were brutally murdered."

"What if they deserved it?"

"Deserved it? Is that what it is now? You're running with a vigilante who decided who lives and who dies?"

"I'm not running with anyone. But he can't be all bad. He came here tonight, he saved Ana's life."

"Yeah, but from what? What was that thing?"

"I have no idea."

"I bet _she_ does," Fitz said sharply, looking at Ana.

"I'll explain everything later," Ana promised them. "It's a long story."

"Daisy, come home with us. So we can properly take care of that arm. Now we have a drug that can help those bones to heal faster. Our supply keeps running low, but we're about to…" He paused. "But you already have it, don't you?"

Again, no reply from Daisy.

"It's Yo-Yo… She's stealing it, and you two had been in touch this whole time."

Damn. Yo-Yo and Mack had a thing, everybody knew that. And if she had been in contact with Daisy this whole time, it was bad. Even Ana felt a bit betrayed. She and Daisy were supposed to be friends, but Daisy had chosen to trust someone else.

"We've been out there looking for you," Mack went on. "Trying to protect you and put the pieces back together, and you… Why? Why are you doing this?"

"Because she's turned her back on us, Mack!" Fitz snapped. "Because something terrible happened, and she didn't want our help to get through it!"

"Slow down, Turbo."

"We've all been through terrible things! All of us! And we never turned our back!"

"I'm doing what I need to do."

"And it still affects us, like it or not," Mack said.

"Thank you, for the splint."

She stood up.

"Daisy!" Ana said.

Daisy paused.

"You think this is what you need to do, but it's not."

"Oh, really? Says the girl who joined SHIELD because she was too embarrassed to go back to her daddy after one failure! Do you really expect me to believe you want to be an agent? To risk your own life for others? SHIELD is a company retreat for you, something to—"

"Well, your obduracy just made me see how stupid that was," she said, and it was somewhat the truth. Seeing how much Daisy was hurting the team had made Ana realize how much she was hurting her father. He didn't deserve it. But she couldn't give up on the Darkhold either, not while she was suddenly, unexpectedly so close to it. She was here to do some good, but it was as if the universe didn't let her be a decent person. If she kept walking the morally right path, she would have to return home empty-handed. Again.

For once, she wanted to go home with the kind of gift her dad deserved. Like, infinite knowledge... Not to mention the whatever apocalypse that awaited the whole world.

"You guys are my only friends, and I care about all of you, but after this Momentum Labs case, I'm out. I'll be a Consultant if the Director lets me, and I'll try to be there if you ever need me again, but that's all. I have a family that needs me more."

"Yeah. You belong here even less than I do." With these words, Daisy walked out of the Quinjet.


	54. Chapter 54

"So, the book?" Mack started, once Daisy was gone and they were in the air. "We're all ears."

"When I was an intern, I'd overheard the Bauers talking about the book one day. It was something I wasn't supposed to hear, but I didn't take them seriously back then anyway. I didn't think much about it after that. Until I made a stupid joke to Dad while Romanoff was spying on us. I'd unintentionally given Fury a lead. So Fury made me an offer when I went to see him about the gravitonium: If I helped him find the book, he'd give me the gravitonium. But SHIELD went to hell in a handbasket, and the gravitonium's been missing since then."

"Yeah, but what does this book do?" Fitz asked.

"Shows you what you want to know the most, if Fury is to be believed. But it's like dark magic. Literally, it's called the Darkhold. It corrupts the mind or something like that."

"Okay, I'd understand if this came from Mack, but _you_…"

"I know how it sounds. But, Fitz… Come on! Does a magic book sound so absurd after everything we've been through today?"

"We can't tell the Director," Mack told Fitz.

"That means we can't tell Jemma either." Being in the Director's inner circle, Jemma went through lie detection tests regularly.

Mack looked at her again, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Did you take Fury's offer?"

"I did more than just taking. I _volunteered_ to read the book."

"Damn it, Ana! Don't tell me you're still after it!"

"We thought there was a way to cheat it. I'd get the knowledge I needed, use it, and then Fury would erase my memories."

"TAHITI," Fitz mumbled. "The TAHITI Protocol is not that reliable, Ana."

"I know. If _we_ find the Darkhold now, together we can decide how to proceed."

Mack was still skeptical. "Yeah, why do I get the feeling that the moment you get a location on the book, you're going to ditch us?

"What do you think I am?"

"You're the girl who turned Captain America into a criminal."

"I did it because he had a bad influence on my dad! He was too proud to admit it, but he always looked up to Rogers, put himself in danger recklessly just to be like him! And then he got betrayed by him! If the great Captain America had been honest from the start, Dad would've even helped Barnes."

"It wasn't Rogers who made him create Ultron. And don't tell us it was Maximoff either. He'd come up with the idea long before that."

"To protect us all! You don't know how primitive we are, compared to alien civilizations! You've seen the Kree, the Chitauri! And there are countless others out there! We'll never be able to catch up unless smart people start taking calculated risks!"

She knew Fitz agreed with her, but he chose to remain silent. She continued, "Let me read the book. Let me learn what to do to make this planet alien-proof. Then put me through the TAHITI Protocol. We can use BARF, too. If everything else fails, you can put a bullet in my head. I know I don't deserve a happy ending. But my dad does. Please."

A very dark, intimidating look crossed Mack's face. "Yeah, because _that _sounds like a real happy ending for a father…"

No one spoke to her again until they returned to the Playground.

* * *

That night, she called her father again. This time, she made a video call. She wanted to see his face.

"Hey, Dad."

"Kid? Wow, I wasn't expecting to hear from you again so soon…"

"Are you complaining?" she joked.

"Not in the slightest."

"Well, I called you, because I made up my mind. I'm coming home."

His face lit up with the perhaps the purest, the most innocent form of happiness, and it broke Ana's heart. "O—okay… Awesome! Do you want me to send Happy to get you? Scratch that, I'll come myself!"

"No, no… Not right away. I gotta help the team with an operation first. They're going to need my… expertise for this one."

He nodded. "Well, they're your friends… If they need you, you should be there for them. Not to rush you or anything, but will it take long?"

"I don't expect it to, but there's not exactly a timetable with these things. You know the drill… We were on a mission today. I got to try out Mark L."

"How did it go?"

"I didn't have to use it much. But it made me look cool." That sounded better than _"It doesn't do much against ghosts."_

He laughed.

"Daisy was there, too."

His smile was replaced with a look of concern. "Oh."

"She was an ass, but it made me realize I was in no position to judge her. That's actually why I decided to come home. I swear I'd be on my way right now if I weren't needed here."

"I get it. No problem, kid, really. You care about them, and it sounds like they can use your help. I'm so proud of you."

He believed her. He knew she meant it when she said she wanted to come home. It was all that mattered.

Someone knocked on Ana's door. "Ana?"

"Come on in, Mack… Dad, I'll be hanging up now. Say hi to Pepper for me."

"Sure thing. Goodnight, honey. I love you."

"Love you more."

Mack smiled warmly when he realized whom she had been talking to. "You were talking to _him_?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Ana, I wanted to say I'm sorry. I might have been a bit harsh on you earlier."

"It's cool. You just don't want me to do anything stupid."

"There's something you should know about me. About why I… overreacted."

"Okay?"

"I had…" He swallowed thickly. "I had a daughter."

"Oh." The keyword here was _"had."_ So, Ana decided to be extra careful not to say anything wrong. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Not many people do. And I'd like to keep it that way."

"Understood."

"Her name was Hope. The day she was born was the best day of my life. And the following three days were… They were like a dream. On the fourth day, she died."

Not knowing what else to do, she took his hand. "I'm so sorry, Mack."

"I'd like to think she would've grown up to be like you, or Daisy."

"The two most messed up people you know?"

"Well, maybe not that part. But there's another one: Smart, capable, caring, supportive… Willing to go incredible lengths for their loved ones. But if my daughter had a plan that might get her killed in the end, I'd be wrecked. Not _proud_, no matter how selfless her intentions were. I know you're going to try to read the damn book, Ana. Don't. Help us destroy it instead. I'm a man of faith. And I know nothing good ever comes from making a deal with the Devil. If you want to give your dad a happy ending, stay alive. And safe."

Ana smiled. _That's exactly what I'm trying to do._

* * *

"Yeah, well, 'cozy' means small, and 'charming' means old… Where did you find this place… And, uh, it's certainly within our price range… Yes, one can, and we did… Yeah, but I'm heading to Radcliffe's… Is it? Eh, I guess so. Trying to figure out a less deadly way to cure our ghost victims. Take lots of pictures. Yeah, I love you, too."

Fitz was talking on the phone with Jemma as he was preparing to head out, but suddenly, he stopped. He must have caught Ana staring at him. Fitz-Simmons were cool and all, but sometimes it was painful to be around them. She was constantly being reminded of the life she could have had with JARVIS.

_There's hope now_, she reminded herself.

"I'm sorry," she told Fitz quickly. "It's just… Sometimes I can't help but wonder if this could've been me and JARVIS."

"Well, at least you wouldn't have had to worry about finding a place…" He paused, covering his mouth. "Sorry. I didn't mean to sound like an insensitive idiot."

"It's fine. And you wouldn't have to be so stressed out if you just let me buy you guys an apartment."

"No, no… I told you, we can't accept that."

"Come on! It's just an apartment. Not a bloody castle in Scotland or anything," she said with the best Scottish accent she could fake, which seemed to have horrified Fitz.

"Ugh, please don't do that again… I'm going to Radcliffe's. May is there. Want to come?"

May had been infected with the ghost virus as well, and was now recovering at Radcliffe's place. Ana would like to see how she was doing, but her hands were full with other things. She looked at the results of her own research. "Oh, no. Looks like I'm hanging out with Coulson today."

Speaking of, Coulson had entered the lab. "Ana, tell me what you got."

"Okay, so, I was looking for the former employees at the Momentum Labs. There's this one guy, Elias Morrow. Fury told me about him. He's the one that beat Joseph Bauer into a coma. I don't know if he's connected to the book somehow, but he's definitely connected to something else. This is one of his two nephews: Robbie Reyes."

"Robbie Reyes?"

She looked at his picture on the screen behind her, and sighed. "Believe it or not, this is the fiery skull guy who saved our asses."

Coulson smiled. "Damn…"

"I've also prepared a more detailed debriefing file for you."

"Good. Let's pay Mr. Morrow a visit."

* * *

"Maybe it should be me," Ana suggested one last time, before Coulson and Mack got into Lola. "This guy is a scientist in prison. I don't think he'll be happy to see a shady government agent like you."

"He'd be even less happy to see a privileged billionaire heiress. 'Shady government agent' is better, trust me."

Yeah, this was what happened when a celebrity tried to be a spy. "If you say so…"

Ana remained in the Quinjet, cloaked under a bridge, and watched the two men speed away in Coulson's beloved Corvette. Well, at least she would be able to monitor the visit. It didn't go well, though. Morrow refused to tell Coulson anything. Ana was keeping herself busy by reading more of the rumors about the "Ghost Rider" of LA on the internet, to see if there were any developments, while waiting for the two men to return when something hit the Quinjet, disabling the cloaking mode immediately. Ana looked out the window, one hand ready to activate the suit, but Coulson and Mack were out there, examining a black… 1969 Dodge Charger? She opened the back hatch, and got out.

"Have you two been chasing someone?"

"Yeah, we got your guardian angel," Coulson said.

"My guard—" She froze when she realized who was in the driver's seat. "You gotta be kidding me…"

"Let's get him inside."

Ana was gaping at them in shock as Mack opened the door and hauled an unconscious Robbie Reyes onboard.

* * *

She peeked into the containment module. Reyes was still out. Coulson was waiting patiently, and Mack was admiring the Charger. Ana had taken a look, too, but there was nothing that could explain how the car was still undamaged, or how it could emit fire, if the rumors to be believed.

"Damn!" Mack said. "Not even a dent… I wouldn't mind having a superpower like that for a day or two."

"Hands off my ride, man!" Reyes was awake.

Coulson gestured them to stay back. He was going to do the talking. Ana went to stand next to Mack. "The car is safe. Your situation's a little more precarious."

"You really think this thing can hold me?"

"It's contained a lot more dangerous people than you," Mack broke in.

"Is that a dare?"

Mack shrugged.

Coulson continued, "I heard rumors from your part of the world, about a man with a flaming skull. Always seemed like an urban legend to me. You've managed to escape capture all this time."

"And we nabbed you in a parking lot. That's gotta hurt," Mack taunted him.

"We got facts, too: Robbie Reyes, dropped out of Garfield High. Took work at Canelo Auto and Body to help pay the rent."

"A halfway decent driver," Mack added.

"With a few bad habits. Well, one really bad habit of killing people."

"Only those who have it coming," Reyes defended himself.

"From what I can tell, that seems to be true. Which makes you a little more interesting."

"I have a code I try to live by."

"And a penchant for spontaneous combustion, which, I must say, sounds painful. How do you do it? You're not an Inhuman, are you?"

"Why do you guys keep asking me that?"

"Then where does your power come from?"

"I made a deal with the Devil," he replied, and his eyes literally blazed with fire.

"Right," Coulson said coolly. "Okay. Just…"

He came to where Mack and Ana were standing, leaned closer, and whispered, "Ghosts, devils… You believe any of this stuff we're dealing with?"

"I believe in God, so I gotta believe in the other thing," Mack said.

"Well, in my experience, gods usually turn out to be aliens."

That gave Ana an idea. "Or, old family friends…"

Mack frowned in confusion. "What?"

"Coulson, I have a theory. May I test it?"

"Go ahead. He's all yours."

She approached the module warily. "Hello, Robbie. Do you mind if I call you Robbie?"

"No."

"I'm Ana. Nice to meet you."

"What do you want from me?"

"I just wanted to thank you, for not letting me get infected with that… ghost virus the other day. You saved me. You freaked me out, but you saved me."

"You're welcome," he said dryly.

"Robbie… How do you know me?"

"I don't."

"But you do! When you saw me for the first time, you knew who I was. And I'm not talking about the _'I saw your face on the cover of the Forbes'_ look, I get that one all the time. I can tell the difference. No. It was like you finally met someone you'd heard so much about."

Robbie scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself, _chica_. I don't know you."

"You said you made a deal with the Devil… What kind of deal was it? Did he grant you these powers, or is he within you, like a parasite?"

"I wouldn't use that word if I were you."

"Okay, I won't. But he's the one taking over when you go… you know…"

He nodded.

"So… How long has the Devil been around?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because the last time I met such an overprotective alien, she turned out to be my grandfather's secret best friend. Maybe this 'Devil' was around, too, while they were building SHIELD."

"The Devil has no friends."

"Still," Coulson interrupted. "I don't think you'd hurt her. Or any of us." He opened the module.

Robbie was a bit hesitant at first, probably thinking it was some kind of trick, but he got out and took a look around until he was convinced otherwise.

"Damn, you all must be straight _loco_ letting me out of my cage like that."

"Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing," Mack said.

"I light up. I can bring this whole plane crashing down."

"With you in it? I don't think you'll do that. Flying isn't one of your special talents." He looked at Ana's Arc Reactor. "Agent Stark here, on the other hand, wouldn't mind giving us a ride if things went south, would she?"

"Not at all," she confirmed.

"I'm opening a door for you, Mr. Reyes, both literally and figuratively."

"And in return, you want…"

"The same thing you do: Answers. And your uncle Eli has them. That's why you were going to see him. See, I think we're on the same side, but I think you need to prove it to me. Prove that you're not the demon the stories say you are."

"You saved a friend of mine from a guy my bullets went straight through. You're the only one we know that can hurt those things," Mack said.

"So let's help each other. Eli won't talk to us, but he'll talk to you. All we ask is that you let us listen in on the conversation."

"And if I say no?"

"Well, then we open another door for you, but we won't land first."

Ana didn't think it was a good idea to threaten him, but to her surprise, Robbie agreed to cooperate.

* * *

Eli Morrow was much more chatty with his nephew. He told him about the Quantum Particle Generator, about the Bauers' plans, and about the Darkhold. But then, they received a message from the base, saying they had lost the signal of one of the Inhumans. They had to check him out, make sure he wasn't in danger, or pose any danger to others. Given this one's background, the latter was more likely. When Robbie returned, he wasn't happy to hear about this delay. But eventually, he gave in.

Coulson had ordered Ana to stay behind, saying it was a bad idea to send someone in an armed suit into a building full of explosives. Seriously, who would let an Inhuman with pyromania get a job at a firework shop?

But when they returned to Zephyr One, they had Simmons, the unconscious Inhuman with them… and Daisy. She and Jemma had come to check on JT James, the pyromaniac Inhuman, too, but it had turned out to be a trap for Daisy. James had made a deal with the Watchdogs.

Daisy didn't seem happy to see Ana, so Ana decided to stay out of sight while Simmons took care of her injuries and then Coulson debriefed her. Then Simmons came to the bunk where Ana had been hiding.

"There you are," she said. "Coulson's done with Daisy and Reyes, you can see her now."

"Does _she_ want to see me, though?"

"Coulson convinced her to stay for this mission. We're going to pick up May now, and then find Joseph Bauer…"

"Is he awake?" Ana asked, surprised.

"Yes. But my point is, you and Daisy can't avoid each other forever."

"I'm not the one doing the avoiding."

"I know," she said sympathetically. "But Inhumans get hurt, Daisy blames the Accords, and you signed them."

"Let's just make one thing clear: You believe in the Accords more than I do. Yet she doesn't have anything personal against you."

"If it's any consolation, she pointed a gun at me earlier today, to force me to help her."

"Probably to protect you. You're in the Director's inner circle. Speaking of, how's that going?"

"I have a lie detection test tomorrow… You can't invent something that can help me cheat it, I assume?"

"In less than 24 hours? No. Besides, Mace wouldn't even let me go anywhere near his polygraph. I don't even know what algorithms it uses."

She sighed. "He knows us too well."

"But Simmons… You have to find a way to maintain your position."

"How?"

She thought for a moment. "Do you have anything you can use against the Director? Any leverage? No one's perfect, you must have noticed something by now."

In truth, Ana knew Mace's biggest secret: Project Patriot. He was no Inhuman. The super-strength he had was man-made. Fury had told her, so that she could use it as leverage when she had first joined SHIELD and be excluded from the mandatory polygraph test every new employee went through. It had worked. Mace must have figured out she was here to do Fury's bidding, but he could never guess what it was. Not that it mattered anymore. She had got what she had come for a long time ago.

Still, she couldn't tip Jemma off, otherwise she would want to know how Ana knew.

"I wish I had."

"I'm just going to go see Daisy." She set off to find her.

Daisy and Robbie were in the lower deck, away from everyone, the former still glaring daggers at Ana. She was also nursing a broken arm.

Ana took a seat beside her. "How's your arm?"

"It's fine," she replied dryly.

"Daisy, please. I don't want to lose our friendship."

"That friendship went down the drain the moment you signed the Accords!"

"Oh, please, don't go all Captain America on me!"

"The Watchdogs are hunting us down! And do you know how they find us? They use the list people like you put us on! Either we register, or we're criminals!"

"I've registered, too."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, not everyone is untouchable as you are!"

"That incident in DC? Did you know I was there to ask Ross to give you immunity? Don't you accuse me of being selfish!"

"Is that so? What about everybody who's not me?"

Ana didn't have an answer for that. Daisy had a point, and she had to get this out of her system. So, Ana let her.

"See, that's your problem! You just do what's best for yourself and a handful of people you care about. Screw everyone else, right?"

"Daisy, the Accords were going to happen, with or without my signature. Sometimes you have to play by the rules to break them. You have to play the long game. Why do you think Simmons is sucking up to the new Director? What happened to Ross made people question the reliability of oversight. Sure, this recent blackout was a hindrance, but…"

The Watchdogs had recently terrorized a few cities with mass blackouts, and made it look like the doing of the Inhumans. It had worked. The paranoia was on the rise again.

"Hindrance? Is that what it is to you? Do you even know what it was like out there?"

"I don't," she admitted. "I was on the base."

"Yeah. One way or the other, you're always in safety. So, stop pretending like you understand! You're just a spoiled, greedy rich girl who's always in search of more power because she's too afraid to lose her privileges!"

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just one of the bad guys. Since we have an expert right here, why don't we ask him?" She turned to Robbie. "Do I deserve to be punished?"

"We wouldn't be having this conversation if you did."

"So, trying to kill two Avengers doesn't count? Even if one of them is Captain America?"

"What about having a thing for dangerous artifacts?" Daisy added sharply, showing Ana a tablet, with information about the Darkhold on the screen. "Coulson found some notes about the book in Fury's Toolbox… _'The Darkhold, the Book of Sins, the Book of Spells, infinite knowledge, location unknown, affiliation with the Momentum Labs,' _and, wait for it_… 'To be used by AMS.' _Please tell me AMS doesn't stand for Ana Maria Stark."

Ana knew the Darkhold was one of the things in the Toolbox, so it didn't surprise her to hear that Fury had left such notes for his successor. "I'm afraid it does. But Daisy, I was honest with the team about the book from the start."

At that moment, Robbie's eyes blazed again, his head didn't turn into a skull, but he spoke with that creepy demon voice. "You will not read the book!"

Even Daisy was startled.

"Okay, okay," Ana said. "I won't read the book. It's clearly not worth pissing the Devil off. Just calm down."

His eyes returned to normal, and he seemed as confounded as they were.

"What the hell was that?" Daisy asked.

Robbie sighed, his gaze still fixated on Ana. "I got no idea. But you're right. The Devil knows you."


	55. Chapter 55

The mission wasn't going well. Joseph Bauer had woken up from the coma, but his wife had got to him first. He had died a few seconds after telling Coulson that they had been too late. Or, at least this was what Coulson had told Ana, since the "Devil" had made it clear that she would stay on Zephyr One.

They all agreed that Robbie's uncle would be Dr. Bauer's next target. So, they went to South Ridge Penitentiary, where Eli Morrow was serving. Again, Bauer was one step ahead, she had other ghost friends, and they had infected the whole staff. Coulson and May were too late to figure it out and they got trapped inside. Mack, Robbie, and Daisy were about to start the extraction when Fitz boarded, thankfully with the cure for the "ghost infection." He and Ana stayed on Z1, to guide the teams to Morrow's cell. Or rather, Fitz did it, because he was better at analyzing floor plans and determining the fastest route. Ana had much less experience with coordinating a mission, but the Ghost Rider had insisted she would stay out of this.

They freed Coulson and May first, then went to get Eli Morrow. They were trying to find Bauer and her gang at the same time, but those often lurked around invisible. They were hard to spot. Fitz led the team through a cell block, saying it was the fastest way, but it turned out to be full of Watchdogs who were doing time here. And of course, Lucy Bauer did what anyone with a 90 IQ or above would do. She opened their cell doors. Fitz had taken a calculated risk, but it had backfired. All Watchdogs hated Quake.

"Fitz, we could really use that exit," Coulson's nervous voice came through the comms.

"If I release the door, all the doors in cell block A opens! Security wings, exterior exits…"

"Just do it!"

Fitz obeyed the order, then turned to Ana. "I wonder which idiot designed this prison…"

"I should go there," Ana thought aloud. "They're outnumbered."

"Yeah, but what about Robbie?"

"Well, technically it's not Robbie. Robbie doesn't give a shit about me. The thing inside him, on the other hand…"

"What does 'it' even want from you?"

"It certainly wants to keep me away from the Darkhold, for one thing."

"Yeah, but why _you_ in particular? Why not anyone else?"

"Who knows?"

Their attention returned to the screen. Mack and Robbie had been doing well so far, other than the fact that Mack had been infected by one of the ghosts lurking around, and had to give himself a shot of antidote. The others had made it to the cafeteria, but the Watchdog inmates were gaining on them.

"Coulson, exit is on the north side," Fitz said. "We'll try to get you to a secure cell block."

"You're going to make it," Daisy's voice came. She had locked herself into the cafeteria with a bunch of Watchdogs to give Coulson and May a chance to escape.

"Daisy, no! Open the door!" yelled Coulson.

"This is my fight, not yours."

"Fitz, change of plans! Find us another way into the cafeteria, I don't care how!"

Fitz had already started planning another way in, but Ana had a different idea. Daisy was either going to get herself killed, or break every bone in her body while trying to defend herself. "Hang on, Coulson! I'm on my way."

She slammed on the button to open the back hatch of Z1.

"What about Robbie?" Fitz asked again.

"I won't tell him if you don't," she said, and jumped. She didn't care what a pain in the ass Daisy had become lately, she was still her best friend.

She landed near the outside walls of the cafeteria, and punched a hole in one of them. Daisy, and the five Watchdogs she was fighting turned to look. All it took was five well-aimed bullets to end the fight. And three more for those who were coming through the hallway. After that, without giving Daisy a chance to say anything, Ana went to knock down the other door with a kick to let Coulson and May in.

"You better leave before Robbie sees you here," Coulson advised.

Ana was about to do just that. She bolted upwards, and returned to Zephyr One hovering above.

Soon, the teams returned, too, but without Eli Morrow. Bauer had taken him.

* * *

They were headed to Robbie's house next, to ensure his brother's safety. They were going to bring Gabe in, just in case Bauer targeted him, too. To avoid any drama with Daisy, Ana was hiding in her bunk again. But to her surprise, Daisy came to her.

"Save your breath. I didn't do it for you," Ana said quickly. It wasn't exactly the truth, but it was what Daisy needed to hear.

"I'm not here for that. I need a favor."

"Everyone always does… At least you're being straightforward about it."

"Robbie's brother is here. He's a smart kid, and—"

Ana was already going to do that anyway. "Gabriel Reyes, yeah. One of the most promising students at Garfield High. Definitely eligible for the September Foundation. Consider it done."

"Please do it without making him feel like a charity case."

"Geez, Daisy, I got some basic decency, don't worry."

"Well, it's kind of hard to remember, after everything you've done. JARVIS' death is no excuse for some of your actions, you know."

"Yeah, because you've been handling Lincoln's death like a boss."

"You're such a bitch."

"I'm working on it."

"Speaking of, Fitz has been looking for you, said he needed someone to brainstorm with to figure our Bauer's next move."

"Before you go… I, too, have a favor to ask in return," she said in a distant tone. If Daisy wanted to deal with a crafty bitch, she was going to be one. "I want you to let me help you. Keep shutting the others out if you want, but you gotta make an exception for me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the one person who _cannot_ die on you."

Her expression completely changed. Daisy wasn't stupid. "You saw_ your_ death…"

"Yes."

"When I asked, you said Charles had shown you just random deaths of strangers! You lied. Damn it, I knew you lied…"

"I wanted to become a self-made prophet, and I did. Now I know how I'm going to die. Isn't that awesome?" She chuckled hysterically. Finally, it was off her chest.

"But the future can change, you proved it!"

"That's the thing. I'm not going to die in the future."

"What?"

"I'm going to die in the past. I don't know how, but I'm going to go back to 2009 and die there."

"Wait, wait, wait… How do you know that for sure? What did Charles show you?"

"You can't tell anyone else."

"Like you gave me a choice…"

"I was standing at the front door of the Malibu Mansion, the one Killian destroyed, looking at the security cam, speaking to someone. Probably my past self. Then I turned around, and saw the two mercs Stane had hired to kill me. They shot me, twice. I returned to the camera, said, 'You must be in New York.' Then I died."

"Why would you do such a thing?"

"I can think of only one reason. Dad's right to be afraid. Something will come, and it will be so bad that time-travel will be our only way out."

"You don't know that."

"I do. Because all this alien crap started with New York."

"And you could've stopped it single-handedly?"

"No. I don't think anyone could've prevented it from happening. Think of it as an equation: The attack isn't a variable, it's a constant."

"Why would you want to be there, then?"

"I thought a lot about it. The timeline of things. If I'd been in New York, I would've been in great danger, true. But I would've also got some time to have a word with Loki. I could've found out who gave him the Scepter and the Chitauri. I don't think he would've given me an explicit answer, being the trickster he was, but he would've pointed me in the right direction, for his wife's sake."

"I thought time couldn't be reversed?"

"It can't. I won't be saving _us_. This is to save an alternate universe. It's the only thing that can be done when all is lost."

"So, you'll trust your 17-year-old self to save the world?"

"Not just myself. I looked like a teenager in that vision. Again, I don't know how that's possible, but it was probably to trick Stane. After he makes sure I'm dead, he'll probably dump me in a hole in the ground or something. Fury's men will be watching. They will take my body to him. He'll figure out I'm a time-traveler once he realizes the other me is still alive."

"And then what?"

"Isn't it obvious? He's going to bring me back from the dead."

The realization dawned on Daisy's face. "Using GH.325… That's why you came to SHIELD! It wasn't because you were too ashamed to go back to Tony! It has NOTHING to do with all this redemption bullshit! You wanted to see the complete version of the Kree map, so that you won't go crazy once you're injected with the GH formula! You couldn't breach the SHIELD firewalls, which were put up by me, by the way, so you infiltrated the base!"

"Yeah, you're that good, I give it to you. And I came here to see the map, true, but I stayed to become the daughter my dad deserves. But now, there's a chance to get my hands on the Darkhold… I don't have a choice."

"Are you actually trying to fulfill this… prophecy? Or stop it?"

"It's a precaution. My mind will be my only asset if I do this, so I had to ensure its integrity. It's not to save my own ass. I can't just walk around in another universe as a temporal paradox anyway. It's too dangerous. Fury will have to put me down eventually. But of course I'm trying to stop it from happening in the first place! Why do you think I want the Darkhold? I'm not the power-hungry corporate bitch you think I am!"

"I don't think the thing inside Robbie will care. It seems pretty adamant about keeping you away from the book."

"Which is why I need you. To stall him, to buy me time, until I get the job done. Then stop me yourself, if it comes to that. But first, I have to use the knowledge in that book. Please help me. If not for me, then for everyone else."

Daisy let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing her forehead. "I hate you…"

"Daisy, please. Don't you see what else that vision means? It means despite everything, Fury can be trusted. And he thinks I can use this book. If I pull this off, you'll all be thanking me in the new future."

"What else are you going to do with the Darkhold?"

"You know. We both know. I'll bring JARVIS back."

"Will the Accords let you?"

She chuckled angrily. "117 countries have signed them, you know. They're the international law now. But the truth is, if they think they can stand between me and JARVIS, I'll lay waste to every single one of those 117 countries. I don't need the Darkhold to drive me insane for that. Still think I'm incapable of love?"

"I don't think this is love, but whatever it is, it's definitely _not_ going to make me help you…"

"I'll bring Lincoln back, too," she blurted out. Yeah, so much for redemption… But at least she wasn't making a false promise. She was really going to do it.

Daisy swallowed thickly, looking haunted. "You're not giving me a choice."

"There's no choice. We can have _everything_, Daisy! We can protect the world, we can have our boyfriends back, we can turn the stupid Accords into paper shredder material…"

"At what cost?"

"When I changed the future on that roof, do you know how I did it? I resisted the urge to get revenge on the man who made my father go into a wormhole with a nuke on his back! I went against all my instincts! It made me feel sick, but I did it, because that's how you change the future. You have to go against everything you know, everything you believe in."

Before Daisy could retort—of course, she would have retorted—Mack interrupted them. "Daisy, into the containment module, now! The Director's here, he wants to take you and Robbie into custody."

"What? Why?"

"_Why_? Really? Just get to the damn box."

"Go!" Ana urged her.

Daisy stormed off. Ana decided to go to the lab, so that everything would look more "normal" by the time Mace's Quinjet boarded.

Fitz gave her a questioning look when she entered. "Did you and Daisy have another fight?"

"We were actually making a truce, then Mace decided to crash the party."

"What?"

"We're being boarded. He wants Daisy and Robbie."

"Where are they going to hide?"

"In the containment module."

He grinned. Fitz loved outsmarting Director Mace. "On the belly of Z1… Clever."

"So, what have you been up to?"

"Talking to May, still trying to figure out what makes Bauer think the experiment will be a success this time… Any theories?"

Ana looked at the computer screen, and smiled at May." Hey, May."

May gave a curt nod, and said nothing. Some might find it rude, but this nod was her version of a friendly greeting. As for Fitz's question, she had no idea. _I wish I could bring Dad into the fold_. _He is better at this sort of thing_, she thought, her fingers going to the Arc Reactor instinctively. And that gave her an idea.

"Power," she mumbled.

"What?"

"What she needs is—" The door whooshed open, and two agents in tac gear, each armed with a rifle, burst in.

"What the hell?" Fitz cried.

"Director's orders," one explained.

"Stairs clear," said the other, and they continued their search.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Fitz sneered. "Well, in that case, you should check under the microscope, or in the fridge, because these Inhumans can be tricky bastards. Yeah, you can tell the Director this is one giant snark hunt."

"Hallway's clear," one agent continued, completely ignoring him. They headed out.

"That's British for a bloody waste of time!" he cried after them.

Ana and May exchanged looks, and sighed. Fitz could be really protective of his teammates.

"This attitude is not helping Daisy, you know," Ana reminded.

"Yeah, because that boot-licking attitude you and Jemma are so fond of has worked great so far!" Taking his frustration on his teammates was another thing Fitz did sometimes. The government had borrowed Jemma for who knew what, and now Fitz had no idea where she was.

"Relax, I'm sure she's safe. Geniuses are rare. That's what makes us so valuable to the government."

"Ana, you were saying something about power," May broke in.

"The facility in Pasadena couldn't generate enough power for the experiment. None of the Momentum facilities could. They didn't have the tech."

Fitz nodded thoughtfully. "Even if they could, SHIELD controls them now, so Bauer can't use them… " He looked at the notes the agents had recovered from the Pasadena lab. "According to these, she's going to need nearly 20,000 megawatts."

"Yeah, it's crazy."

"On the bright side, this narrows down the list… What about the old Avengers Tower?"

"I don't think she'll go there. Too public, and there's no Arc Reactor in that building anymore. We evacuated it completely."

"What about any other Stark buildings?"

"All the ones who have an Arc Reactor are fully staffed, and the abandoned facilities are scraped clean. We don't leave our tech lying around to be found by others."

"Isodyne," May said.

Ana and Fitz swapped perplexed looks. The name didn't ring any bell.

"Isodyne Energy. It was a company that dealt with unnatural stuff like this back in the 40s. Maybe _they_ have left something useful behind for Bauer."

"We need access to the SSR archives," Fitz said. "I'm going to need authorization from Director—"

"There's another way to access those archives. They're stored on the Stark Secure Server as well."

Fitz released a deep breath when he realized they could just cut through the red tape for once. "I'm so glad we have you on the team."

"Get to work, then. Keep me updated." May ended the call.

Ana opened the login page of the secure server, but hesitated for a moment.

"What?" Fitz asked impatiently.

"If I do this, my dad's going to know. He built this server, I can't lock him out."

"Is it a bad thing?"

"No, he already knows I'm helping you guys with something. But he can _never_ know about the Darkhold, do you understand?"

"It's just going to look like the case of a bunch of mad scientists. Nothing too unusual."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right…" She logged in, accessed the SSR files, and browsed for everything related to Isodyne Energy.

May was right. Isodyne Energy had indeed experimented with something called Zero Matter, or Dark Force. Peggy Carter and Howard Stark had stopped them from abusing its power. Isodyne had later been sold to Roxxon, which didn't surprise Ana in the least. Roxxon Corporation had been their biggest rival since, like, forever, and they would do anything to beat Stark Industries, including meddling with the unknown. And they had a now abandoned power plant that would suit Bauer's needs. The power source there wasn't very stable—hence why it had been shut down—but Bauer probably wouldn't care.

But what really intrigued Ana was the brain behind Isodyne Energy: Whitney Frost. Born as Agnes Cully, she was a genius, but rejected by the University of Oklahoma just because she was a woman. To be able to find the money to pursue her passion, she had become an actress, taken up the stage name Whitney Frost, and then married a wealthy man. Her husband, Calvin Chadwick. Chadwick owned Isodyne Energy, where Frost got the chance to use her genius during the war, and came up with some impressive inventions. Because of her obsession with Zero Matter, she had ended up in an asylum and spent the rest of her life there. Ana couldn't help but both pity and admire her. If she had been born in those times, without her dad to support and guide her, her story wouldn't have been much different, she imagined.

"Can you believe this? Hollywood star by day, mad scientist by night…"

"Sounds like you like her."

"She was a visionary. She had so much potential to change the world. It's not her fault that she was so misguided."

"Ana, she was crazy."

Howard Stark had kept detailed notes about her. Perhaps he, too, had respected her to some degree. He might have been many things, but at least he wasn't a sexist asshole, like many of his peers were back in the day, considering everything he had achieved with Peggy Carter and Sigyn.

Then, she found a medical report. On Ana Jarvis. She had been shot by Whitney Frost, and her fallopian tubes had been damaged permanently. That was why she couldn't have had any kids. "You know what, I'm taking it back. Frost was a bitch. I hope hell exists, and she went straight there when she kicked the bucket!"

Fitz peeked at the report, and saw the name. His face was priceless. "Who's Ana Jarvis?"

Ana logged off hastily. This was a bit embarrassing. "Let's just tell the others about the power plant."

By the time they got downstairs, though, it was a mess. The doors of the containment module had been broken open, Director Mace was sitting on the floor, bleeding, with Robbie towering above him, looking remorseful, and Daisy rolling Gabe's wheelchair away from the scene. Ana gave her a questioning look, and she nodded gravely. Gabe must have found out the truth about his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to make it clear, the people who come back from the dead go crazy because the Kree whose bodily fluids Fury used to make the GH formula was looking for an ancient underground Kree city when he was alive, and the patients kind of inherit this urge to locate it from the medicine. Only after seeing the map, they find peace, so to say. That was why Ana was after the map. She couldn't hack into the SHIELD files from the outside because the security Daisy built protects them too well, so she had to do it from the inside. She wants to be able to stay alive as long as Fury needs her if she fails to change the future and she has to go to the past. I hope her plan makes sense? She was actually preparing to sacrifice herself until the Darkhold resurfaced, now she thinks it can fix all her problems. How that will turn out, you'll see in the next chapters!


	56. Chapter 56

Despite the rough start with Robbie, Director Mace had let them go to the abandoned Roxxon Power Plant. But the technology there was ancient, so Daisy and Ana couldn't shut it down remotely by hacking into the system. Boots were needed on the ground.

After Daisy and Ana temporarily muted their comms, the former asked, "Am I going to regret helping you?" Coulson had ordered them to stay behind and guide them through the building. Fitz was going in this time, because they were going to need an engineer there. Ana's plan was to sneak in while the others were busy fighting Bauer, and read a few pages of the Darkhold. Hopefully, that would be enough.

"We've been through this. Let me just use the book. After that, if I start acting weird, if something feels off, just tell Coulson everything, and he'll send me on a trip to TAHITI."

"Robbie is going to kill us both…"

"Ana," Robbie's voice came through the comm. "Change of plans. You're coming with me."

_Speak of the Devil… _She unmuted her comm. "What?"

"Not _my_ call." Even his human voice left no room for discussion. He must have decided not to leave her out of his sight while they were so close to the Darkhold. Damn, could the Rider read minds or something?

"On my way."

She shot Daisy a desperate look before leaving the room. In return, she got an _"I'll see what I can do," _look from her. They were going to have to improvise.

* * *

"…_West and down another control room, and not that you care, but the power surges are growing more frequent and more intense."_

"You're just full of good news today, aren't you?" Coulson joked. He was playing it cool, but they all could see he was happier than anyone else to have Daisy back on the team, even if it was a temporary arrangement.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'd rather be there with you than up here on injured reserve."

They separated. Mack and Fitz went to shut down the power, while Coulson, May, Robbie, and Ana headed down the stairs. The lights here were flickering, and there was static in Ana's ear. Even if Daisy was speaking, she couldn't hear her anymore.

"May, Ana your comms working?" Coulson asked. It looked like she wasn't the only one.

"Negative. Just static," May replied.

"Same here," Ana added.

"Daisy? Do you copy? Are you there?"

"No, but I am."

They all stopped and turned around. The incorporeal form of Lucy Bauer was standing right behind them.

"Find my uncle," Robbie said. "I've got this."

Ana was going to go with Coulson and May, but Robbie grabbed her wrist. "You're staying with me."

Bauer was now looking at Ana. "Hello, Ana. Never thought I'd see _you _here."

"Yeah, well… It's a long story. But I'm certainly not here to join your cause, so don't get any wrong ideas."

"Shame. I remember offering you a job after your graduation. I was going to give you a chance to be great, to escape your father's shadow. You didn't even bother to return to my e-mail."

"I'm perfectly happy with where I am, thank you very much."

"You arrogant bitch…"

"Careful now, you don't want to piss off my hot-headed baby-sitter here."

She looked at Robbie. "Am I supposed to be scared of him?"

"My uncle is Eli Morrow," he said.

"Of course. I've seen your picture. You're his nephew, Gabriel. Like the angel."

"No. I'm the other one." Indeed he was.

"It wasn't supposed to be you boys. Joe hired that gang to take out Eli."

Joseph Bauer had hired a gang to kill someone? Being obsessed with magic books was one thing, but hiring thugs to kill someone? Damn, Ana couldn't believe she had worked for these people once. And just to prove—to no one in particular—she wasn't a spoiled, sheltered little girl, of all reasons…

"You think that makes me feel better?" Robbie asked, pushing Ana behind him.

"I don't care how it makes you feel. I just want you to understand why I'm going to kill him. I had a husband I loved, work that challenged and thrilled me, and just as I had everything I'd dreamt of within my grasp, _this _happened. But I'm going to make it alright. Don't take this personally."

She passed through Robbie, and was coming for Ana, but then, Robbie stopped her.

"How?" Bauer cried.

"Maybe I wasn't clear about who I am." She pulled her closer and grabbed her by the shoulders. "How many innocent people died because of what you've done? I'm here to make you pay for your actions. There're consequences of playing God."

Ana tried to not to think much about the last part.

"Me?" Bauer cried. "Your uncle is the one who wants to play God. He's the one who started this whole nightmare… You're just like your uncle. You have the same fire in you."

"No. Mine's worse." And then, Robbie burned her to ashes. Again, Ana feared that he wouldn't hesitate to do the same to her if she read the book. And yet, the conversation had given her an idea.

"Come on," Robbie said. "Let's go find my uncle."

"Robbie?"

"Yeah?"

"The Devil… He does care about the innocent, right?"

"The only thing he cares about is vengeance."

"Still, vengeance requires incentive."

"Why do you ask?" he questioned, but he looked like he knew the answer.

"Because something is coming… for the innocent. Would he still want me dead if I read the Darkhold to stop that thing?"

"Ana, just don't…"

"Robbie, listen to me! I'm saying something is coming for all of us! That includes your brother, too! Don't you care at all?"

"What's coming? And how do you know about it?"

"Give me your secret, and I'll give you mine. How does the Devil know me?"

He smiled angrily. "You're bold, I'll give you that. But you don't want to play games with _him_, trust me."

"I don't know. Despite everything, he sounds like a reasonable guy. If only I could say the same about you."

"I told you, I don't know how he's connected to you. He won't tell me."

"So, he tells you what to do with me, but not why?"

"Damn right. Look,_ I_ know you're not like Bauer. Your reasons are… different. But the Rider won't care. So, give up. Come on, let's just go find my uncle. I want to see if Bauer was right about him."

They were going to set off again, but suddenly, they saw a transparent white cloud approaching them, like a wave. And it was spreading fast. Ana grabbed Robbie, intending to fly away from it, but she had been too late.

"_I'm so sorry, Dad," _was her last thought.

Then the blast hit them, sending them flying off to the pipes at the far end of the hallway, but other than that, they were unscathed. The white cloud was gone. They both scrambled to their feet.

"What happened?" Robbie asked.

"I don't know, but maybe Bauer wasn't lying. I think this was your uncle. You're right, we need to find him."

Her suit was still functional, but it had no satellite, or internet connection. Like it was isolated from the world. That blast had done something. They just didn't know what it was yet. It was best not to start a fight among themselves until they figured this out. The Darkhold was going to have to wait.

They turned a corner, and found Eli walking down the hallway.

"I heard some troubling things from Lucy," Robbie started. "That you tried to kill them. You were behind this the whole time!"

Eli ignored them. Robbie charged at his uncle, but he just walked through him. Robbie looked at his own hands first, then Ana, probably for an explanation. She had none.

"Mr. Morrow, we're here to escort you out of here," a SHIELD agent said. It looked like these agents couldn't see Ana and Robbie either.

Eli turned to the agents, holding what looked like a stake in his hand. It was weird, because Ana was pretty sure he had no such thing when they had first encountered him.

"He's armed!" the same agent warned the others.

Robbie rushed to his side. "_Tío_, keep your head, man! Don't do anything stupid!"

"Beautiful, no?" Eli asked the agents. "Pure carbon."

"Sir, you have to put down the weapon."

"_Tío_, don't hurt them."

Eli dropped the stake made out of carbon. It shattered into hundreds of shards. But Eli didn't look like he was going to surrender. Ana recognized the look on his face. It was a look of madness, a hunger for power, respect, and domination. For her, it was like looking into a mirror. A mirror of shame.

"Get away from him!" Robbie tried to warn the agents, but he had been too late. The one who had been talking to Eli was impaled by another, bigger carbon stake that had, again, come out of nowhere. Eli just walked away, blocking the way with a wall of carbon with a flick of his hand.

A second later, Mack and May walked in. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop him," Robbie apologized.

For Ana, the truth had already sunk in. "I don't think they can hear us, Robbie. We're outside their perceptible spectrum."

"Why? What happened? Are we like those scientists now?"

Ana took a deep breath to collect her thoughts. They were going to fix this. One way, or the other, they were going to fix this. She just needed to do what she did best, and think. Yeah, she was an excellent problem solver. "I doubt it," she started. "For one thing, they could control their molecular density. Ours seems to be fixed."

She tried to touch to the nearest wall, but no matter how hard she tried, her armored hand just phased through it. "Of course, they had years to get familiar with their new nature, but the circumstances were different. They were sucked into Quantum Batteries, while we were exposed to a residual energy surge from a similar device. Depending on the—"

"Ana, you know I'm a high school dropout, yeah? Just tell me if this is better, or worse."

"I don't know. How does the Devil feel about it?"

"He's… not happy."

"Then it's probably worse."

"What's my uncle doing?"

"I think he's flexing his new muscles."

"What?"

"Carbon is like the foundation of all life on this planet, okay? And it's the simplest element. Just one simple atom. If I gained the ability to create things out of thin air, I'd start practicing with carbon, too."

"Are you saying he can create life?"

"If he keeps going like that, yes. Eventually. He wants to be a god. The problem is, where does he get the energy? It doesn't make any sense. It goes against all the laws of physics. No, the energy has to come from somewhere…"

"Can you fix us?"

"How can an engineer work if she can't use her hands?"

"I don't have an answer for that, but two engineers are better than one," Coulson broke in. Fitz was standing beside him.

"You guys can see us?"

"Yeah, we've been exposed, too," Fitz said. "But other than that, I'm as clueless as you are. Hey, at least your suit still works."

"It would help to know what exactly Eli did."

"Agreed."

"Then let's head back to Zephyr One," Coulson suggested. "The team thinks we're MIA. They'll figure this out."

Yeah, SHIELD thought they were MIA. And unless they were found soon, families would be called by the Director to inform them of their deaths. It was the standard SHIELD protocol… She couldn't let that happen.

* * *

Coulson, Fitz, Robbie, and Ana watched the footage of Eli's experiment along with the rest of the team. Of course, the rest of the team didn't know they were on board.

"I hate watching my own demise," Coulson joked.

"I don't think we're dead," Robbie said. "I feel sick. My stomach hurts." He grimaced.

"Guys… Is it just me, or are the lights really fading?" Ana asked.

"The lights," Fitz mumbled. "Yeah, the voices are harder to hear. Can't penetrate wherever we are."

Coulson asked, "What do you mean, 'wherever we are'? Do you understand what this is?"

"I think I understand why Lucy and her friends are like ghosts now… They were out of phase with our reality. It's like the invisible quantum mechanics inside the boxes, moving in and out of our dimension. Lucy and her friends were stuck in between and now we are, too!"

"Trapped between dimensions?"

"Yeah, that shock wave wasn't a turbulence, that was… friction between two dimensions."

"Dude… what?" Robbie asked.

"We're being sucked into another dimension," Ana realized. Fitz's theory was solid. "And we've been sucked even deeper. That's why we can't control our density like Bauer and her friends did. It's not about our molecules, it's the quantum mechanics at play here!"

Fitz nodded. "Yeah. Imagine the world is a raft floating on the water. And Eli punches a hole right at our feet. We get sucked down into… who knows what."

In the meantime, those who were still 100% on the Earth dimension were now discussing the option of calling families.

"Sooner or later someone's going to have to call Stark," Mack was saying. "The man deserves to know."

"Mack, no!" Ana cried, but of course, Mack didn't hear it.

Much to her horror, Mace nodded. "Of course. Ana Stark died on my watch, and I'll take full responsibility for it. But not yet. I should be able to give him an answer when Stark asks me what happened here. That's why I want to talk to Simmons first."

It was Fitz's turn to freak out. "They're going to tell her I'm dead!" He took out her phone to call Simmons, but then realized it was a stupid idea.

Thankfully, May was of the opinion that they should do more before starting to make phone calls. She suggested questioning the Chinatown Crew.

"The Chinatown Crew," Robbie said. "They might be right about that. I can help find them."

"That means they have to know you're alive first. You got any hell-demon tricks up your sleeve?"

"No. He's fighting me right now."

"Then we'll stick together. And we'll find a way to make them hear us. All of us," Coulson said, determined.

Ana was thinking about how lucky she was to be stuck in this mess at least with a reliable group of friends when she suddenly felt something cold behind her head. Like, icy cold fingers had brushed her hair, and then disappeared. She let out an involuntary scream.

"What?" the other three asked.

"S—something touched me," she said. She didn't know why, but she was really scared now. She hadn't put on the helmet when she had donned the suit, but maybe she should have. "Did you guys see anything?"

They shook their heads.

"I swear I felt something behind me, I'm not making it up!"

"Ana, calm down," Coulson said. "We believe you. Tell us what it was like."

"It was… cold. Really cold. It was like a hand… Coulson, I don't know where we are going, but I'm pretty certain there are things on the other side."

Mace was going to call Simmons, so Fitz and Robbie went after him. Coulson followed May. Ana stayed with Daisy, who seemed devastated. She went to sit in a corner by herself. Mack didn't leave her alone, though.

"Hey… You okay?"

"Look, I know you want to do the right thing, but I don't think Ana would want us to call Tony right away."

"Yes!" Ana exclaimed with relief. "Thank you!"

"If May is right…" Daisy paused and sucked in a shaky breath. "I _have to_ believe May is right. I can't lose anyone else."

"You won't. I was being hasty earlier. Let the Director talk to Simmons first. Maybe she'll figure this out."

"You know what would be nice?" Ana asked Daisy, or rather, herself. "An Inhuman who can sense all types of wavelengths… Which gives me an idea. If I hit you with a supersonic blast right now, it wouldn't hurt you, but you might feel the frequency. Yeah, you can sense frequencies other people can't! It's worth a try."

She hit Daisy with a series of ultrasonic waves. Normally, they were powerful enough to knock most people out, but right now, they passed through Daisy, without causing any harm.

"I hurt both Coulson and Ana so much… And Fitz might never forgive me. You heard what he said on the…" She paused, and looked around.

"What?" Mack asked.

"I'm feeling something."

"Like what?"

"Ana had a suit with her when they disappeared, right?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Mack, I think she's here! Ana, if it's you, stop."

Ana stopped.

"Okay, if Coulson, Fitz, and Robbie are with you, do it again!"

Ana hit her with the ultrasonic waves again.

"Oh my gosh, Mack, they're not gone!"

Well, at least that would stop SHIELD from calling her dad… But she still needed a more effective form of communication. A way to make her voice heard. Daisy might be able to sense a wider range of frequencies, but her visual perception was still human.

_Human…_ That was the problem! They were trying to contact humans! Of course that wouldn't work! Humans couldn't see them, but an android could! And there was only one in the world: Vision.

They weren't too far from New York. She could go to the Compound before it was too late. "Coulson, Fitz, Robbie… I got an idea, I'm going to the Compound! I'll come back with help!" she shouted. The helmet engaged, and she took off without waiting for an answer. There was no time to lose.

Once she was high enough, she went supersonic. Because the suit was offline, she couldn't tap into the ATC data, but it was okay. Even if she accidentally ran into a plane, she would just phase through it.

Going supersonic was something Ana had done only once, during a training session with her dad. It felt insanely empowering, though, traveling faster than sound. And this suit—her version of Mark L was modified for her needs, but it was more or less the same with her dad's—was designed for their greatest fear: The otherworldly. If being trapped between two dimensions wasn't the ultimate trial for it, Ana didn't know what was. So, she tried to stay hopeful.

The lights had become so dim that it looked like nighttime by the time she entered the Compound, but she knew it was still only mid-day. She was just being pulled deeper into this other dimension, which meant she needed to hurry.

"Vision?" she called out. "Where are you? Vision? I need your help!"

Damn… Where was Vision when she needed him? She checked out the communal kitchen, his room, even the labs, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"FRIDAY? Maybe you can hear me?"

No reply from FRIDAY either. Yeah, the sensors and cameras she used around the Compound weren't as advanced as Vision's hardware. Nothing was as advanced as Vision's hardware.

What she found was her dad in his workshop. Of course, he couldn't know she was here. He was working on something, and when she got closer, she realized it was a new suit for Peter. He really liked that kid.

"Hey, Dad. I'm home. Finally. If you must know, I got myself trapped between two dimensions while chasing a magic book. I'm sorry… Please tell me you didn't send Vision to pick up groceries. I don't have much time left."

"Any sign from our Romeo?" he asked.

"This time I was able to track him to Rotterdam, boss," FRIDAY replied.

He nodded thoughtfully. "Either he's taking a detour, or they have more than one love nest."

Ana felt like she had just been hit by a truck. "Wait… Are you talking about Vision and Maximoff? Shit…"

"He promised to return in two days," FRIDAY stated.

"Well, I don't have two days! I don't even know if I have two hours!" She collapsed on the floor, and broke into tears. Vision was her last hope. "Dad, help me…"

Of course, he couldn't help her. No matter how much he loved her, no matter how strong their bond was, he couldn't know she was right before him, begging for help.

"I guess this is how karma gets me…" Vision was only away because Wanda was away. And Wanda was away because she was a fugitive, like Ana had wanted.

The smart thing to do right now was to get back to Coulson, Fitz, and Robbie, but she couldn't bring herself to leave here. If these were her final moments, this was exactly where she wanted to be. AC/DC, DUM-E, U, random clusters of machinery and blueprints… Those were the things that made her feel home. That was the world the two had built together over the years. Of course, there was a huge void in that world now, with JARVIS gone, but Ana had never lost the hope that her dad would pull another miracle one day. Not that it mattered anymore…

She looked at the pictures he kept on his desk. A picture of him with his dad, building an engine together, another picture of him and Pepper—this one was new, Ana noticed, probably taken during the press conference where he had proposed her— and finally, a picture of him and a 17-year-old Ana in her graduation robes, taken shortly after her valedictory speech at MIT. She had never understood why he had chosen this particular picture, but she did now. Even when she was a stupid hormonal teenager trying to punish him by pretending like she didn't care about him, their love for each other was obvious. Then she looked at her own desk, which had been untouched ever since she had left the Compound.

She took a deep breath to collect her thoughts. She was going to go missing, and he was going to find out. She didn't know what was going to happen to her, but she knew what he was going to do. He was going to put the pieces together, connect the dots, trace her steps back, and conclude she had been here. He was going to review all the surveillance footage at the Compound, manipulate the data until he found the spot she was on on the electromagnetic spectrum.

"I know one day you're going to see this, so I'm going to choose my words carefully… I'm so sorry, Dad. I'm so sorry I couldn't be the daughter you deserved. You deserve a much better kid. Like… Peter. He's a good kid. Much more decent than I can ever be. I mean, look what I got myself into… All because I wanted more power. Because everything you taught me, everything you gave me wasn't enough. It was never enough. I kept wanting more. I tell everyone I'm not a power-hungry bitch, but that's a big, fat lie. And I'm also sorry I didn't tell you about the stupid book. There are probably a thousand more things I should apologize for. Looking back, all I ever wanted was to protect you, but somehow, I ended up hurting you more than any enemy could."

He leaned back in the swivel chair, stretched his muscles, and looked at her desk thoughtfully, like he was having some sort of inner struggle. A few seconds passed, and he seemingly gave in. "What was she looking for in the SSR archives?"

"The Isodyne Energy and Whitney Frost files, boss. They are associated with an unearthly substance called the Darkforce, something your father had to deal with as well."

"Darkforce, huh? Yeah, because that doesn't sound ominous at all… Am I making a mistake, FRIDAY? Should I just be a total asshole and force the Director to send her home?"

"Your call, boss."

"You're not an asshole, Dad. That's me. I'd tell you to let me go, not to waste your life trying to get me back, that I'm not worth it, but I know nothing can change your mind. So, I want you to know I'll never stop trying to get back to you. I'll never give up. There has to be a way out if there's—"

Ana jumped when she felt those cold, invisible fingers again. This time, she had felt them on her face, like they were trying to wipe away the tears.

"Stay away from me!" she cried, crawling backwards frantically.

One of the hands covered her mouth. The other was pulling her by the arm. For a moment, everything was dark, then she found herself in the middle of a cold, twilit desolation. There was a blue haze over everything. The sky was dark gray, and starless, and there was no source of light in sight, but she could still see her surroundings somehow. Ana's helmet formed around her head, and she pushed her captor away with all the strength she had. It was a tall, slender figure in long, black, worn robes. Their face was obscured by a hood. When Ana's blow sent them flying, they made a deliberate effort to keep the hood in place, and still managed to land several feet away from her gracefully.

Ana got back on her feet, every weapon on the suit ready to shoot. Now that she could see the enemy, she was less scared. "Send me back! Now!"

The figure was crouching, one knee touching the ground, head bowed. "I wish I could, child." It was a man. His voice was muffled, but there was something familiar about it.

"Then why did you drag me here?"

"I had to."

"Who are you?"

He remained silent.

"Answer me, or I'll blow you to hell."

"This_ is_ Hell."

"What?" she asked, confused. She didn't think he was messing with her. "Am I dead?"

"No. And I'll do whatever it takes to keep it that way." He stood up. "It's not safe here. Follow me."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me who you are."

With a sigh, he lowered his hood, and looked up.

Involuntarily, Ana took a few steps back. She didn't know what she had expected to see, but she certainly hadn't expected to see the face of Howard Stark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was particularly fun to write. Because I'm a sucker for angst... and plot twists and cliff hangers. I don't know how you feel about Howard Stark, but I hope you liked the twist in the end. Well, it's probably not much of a plot twist if you've been following me since The Heiress, but I doubt anyone would be THAT invested in my stories, haha. Anyway, a family reunion in Hell... If that doesn't quench your thirst for badass Stark family moments, I don't know what will :) I normally don't want to press for reviews, but lately I haven't got much, especially from the old readers, and I'm scared that you guys are getting bored of me. Hope that's not the case? I'm also worried that I'm updating too fast and you have trouble keeping up, but I'll be busy with grad school this fall, so I just want to finish this story before that. There are only 15 chapters left!


	57. Chapter 57

"How…"

"It's hard to explain. But we have to go now. Like I said, it's not safe here."

"Then why did you—"

Before she could finish her question, Howard Stark grabbed her arm and started dragging Ana. They just walked perhaps for an hour, and there was no one else in sight. Her head was swimming so fast that it took her a long time to take notice of the unnatural cold and silence surrounding them. "Eerie" would be an understatement. It was as if every single cell in her body was screaming at her not to be here.

But it looked like her grandfather knew what he was doing, so there was that.

Eventually, they entered a cave. It was almost like a maze, with wide, serpentine tunnels full of forks and crossroads. She tried to memorize the path to the main entrance at first, but it was soon proven to be in vain.

"What's this place?"

"My hideout."

"Who are you hiding from?"

"A lot of people."

No longer able to go with the flow, she stopped in her tracks abruptly. Didn't he realize what she was going through here? "Look, I need a minute here, okay? Either give me some answers, or some space. Because this is too much! I can't keep going like this."

His face softened. This was a surprise, because if the stories had taught her anything, it was to not expect any kindness or sympathy from Howard Stark. "Do I frighten you?"

"Well, I'm sorry I wasn't expecting to meet my dead grandfather today!"

"I'm sorry, my dear. This can't be easy for you, I know."

"She's right, Howard," a woman's gentle voice came from somewhere, and she came out from one of the holes in the wall. She was bald, and wearing a yellow robe. "It was your choice to bring your granddaughter here. You owe her an explanation."

"Who's the Air Bender?" Ana asked.

"You can call me the Ancient One. I was the Sorcerer Supreme when I was alive."

"Another alien, huh?" she scoffed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Not exactly," the Ancient One said. "I am a human, and a Master of the Mystic Arts."

"So, there are humans who practice magic?"

"Yes."

"Great! Now if you just tell me what this place is, and what you're all doing here, we'll be making real progress."

"Can I have a moment with her? Alone?" Howard Stark asked uncomfortably. The Ancient One nodded, and gestured them into the small chamber she had come out of. She didn't follow them back into it.

The two Starks, the grandfather and the granddaughter stood, face to face.

"Okay, first things first," he started. "That suit looks impressive, but you have to give it to me."

His entitlement left her appalled. "Huh… Tell you what, Dad made the first version of this in a cave so… go make your own. This one stays with me."

"You misunderstand me, Ana. I don't want the suit for myself. I'm going to destroy that miniaturized Arc Reactor. It's too dangerous for you to have such a thing here."

"How do you know my name? How do you even know I'm your granddaughter? It's not like we've met before."

"The Ancient One has died very recently. She's updated me on many things."

"What about the other one? That thing inside Robbie?"

"Robbie? The newest host?"

She nodded.

"'That thing' in him is known as the Spirit of Vengeance. His real name is Zarathos, if you must know, but never call him that."

"How did you become friends?"

"I helped him escape Hell, a long time ago. He owes me."

"So, there's a way out of here?"

"Under certain conditions, yes."

"Why didn't you escape with him?"

"How would I have explained my return? It would have ruined Tony's life. And yours, too."

This pathetic excuse angered her. Hadn't he just said he had been updated very recently? "Ruined his life? Do you have any idea how much Dad misses you, despite everything you did to him? How desperately he needs a closure because he doesn't want to remember you as the shitty father you are? He fought your precious Captain America because he lied to us about your death! Or did the Ancient One not tell you that?"

"I know about Siberia," was all he said, which made things even worse.

"Wow… So, we almost died trying to avenge you, and you were just… chilling here?"

Ana didn't care who he was, what he had become, or what he could do if she pissed him off. She grabbed him by the collar and shook him. He remained impassive. Frustrated, she shoved him away.

"You know, people always told me I reminded them of you. I hated it. I never quite understood why, I just did. But I understand now. I hated it because I don't want to be ANYTHING like you! You're not the legend you think you are. You're just a sad, little coward! Everybody you trusted betrayed you. You trusted Obadiah Stane with your company, he tried to kill us, twice! You trusted Anton Vanko with your life's work, his son came back to punish us for your mistakes! You built SHIELD, only to get yourself and your wife killed by it, because guess what? It was actually HYDRA! Even Steve Rogers defended your murderer instead of seeking justice for you! He might have been everything for you, but to him, you were nothing! And the one person who loved you unconditionally? You screwed him up with your man-crush on Captain America!"

"I'm sorry."

Was that all he had to say? "_I'm sorry"_? He hadn't even put any emotion into the words. He just stood there, face inscrutable.

"You hide in a cave while your son mourns you. And you drag me here! Why? Just to say hi? To have a partner in crime? Not going to happen! Unlike you, I'm not going to let him mourn me for nothing! I'm going to find a way to return home. And you're going to come with me. You're going to come with me, and be the father he deserves for once!"

"We can't change who we are, Ana."

"Sure we can. Do you know why? Because I did at least one thing you'd never do: I STABBED Steve Rogers!"

With these words, she stormed off. Stabbing Rogers wasn't her proudest moment, but she was just desperate to get back at her grandfather right now. All that pain she had seen in her dad's eyes, heard in his voice while he was talking about his father… How could she not be angry upon seeing the very man who had hurt him like that?

She tried to find the entrance for a while, but only to lose all sense of direction. She was too proud to call for help, so she found a small, empty chamber and sat down on the ground, cross-legged. That was how the Ancient One found her.

"It seems to me all Starks are destined to walk a dangerous path, but yours is the worst."

"What do you even know about my path?"

She sat down cross-legged, too, across from Ana, like she was preparing to say something important. No doubt she would.

"I know it will lead you to Thanos."

"Who is Thanos?"

"The enemy you're looking for."

"The one who gave Loki the Chitauri and the Scepter?"

"Yes."

"What else do you know about him?"

"He's a Titan. The last of his kind. He witnessed the destruction of his people, and thinks it could have been prevented by killing half of the population. He believes it's his destiny to 'save' the rest of the universe."

It wasn't just the world that was in danger, then, but the entire universe. This was a lot bigger than she had thought. If Ana had a pen and paper, she would be taking notes right now. But she didn't, so she was listening very carefully instead, her anger long forgotten. "How is he going to do it?"

"He is already doing it. Planet by planet. But what he truly wants is the Infinity Stones. The six of them. Space, Mind, Reality, Power, Time, and Soul. If he gets them, he can do anything with a snap of his fingers."

"Well, I've studied an Infinity Stone or two myself, so I know your story isn't utter bullshit."

A mischievous smile flickered across the woman's face.

"I believe you've done more than just studying," she said insinuatingly, her eyes on the Arc Reactor. "That's why you want the Darkhold, yes? To create what you call the Nexus, among a few other things?"

"If you have any better ideas, I'm all ears."

"This is your fight. Mine is now against someone else who wants the Nexus for himself."

"Who?"

"The Lord of Hell, Mephisto… Why do you think he took Howard?"

"What?" Ana asked, confounded. Had someone _taken_ him? How did this afterlife work, exactly?

"This place is called Hell, but we're not here to be punished for our sins. No, 'hell' is a relevant word. We're here, because the Lord of Hell wants to use our skills for his own gain. He stole our souls. You see, I was the Sorcerer Supreme when I was alive. And Howard, he…"

"He replicated the essence of an Infinity Stone," Ana realized in horror. "So did I." She was beginning to realize the true consequences of her actions. She could deal with rules, laws, trials, hearings, old men with their sharp suits and small minds, but someone who could steal dead people's souls? She had no idea how to deal with that.

The Ancient One nodded. "He dragged you here before Mephisto or one of his minions could get their hands on you. Are you familiar with the name 'Whitney Frost'?"

"Yes?"

"She was chosen by the Lord of Hell for her work with the Darkforce. Unlike us, she gladly pledged her loyalty to him. She was Howard's torturer. Mephisto gave her some Darkforce as a gift, and she used it to torture the man she blamed for her years in the asylum. Howard never relented. He refused to serve Mephisto, no matter how much Frost hurt him. But he didn't fight back either. He didn't try to escape, thinking it was a punishment he deserved. Until he found out he had a granddaughter. When Frost threatened him with you and Tony, he found the strength to fight back. He started stealing Darkforce from her, one tiny drop during each torture session. It took a long time, but he did it."

"What about the Spirit of Vengeance?"

"He was in the dungeons with Howard. The Spirit helped him hide the Darkforce he stole. In return, Howard used some of it to open a portal back to the Earth Plane. The Spirit of Vengeance escaped, Howard remained to ensure that you and Tony wouldn't end up here when you died."

All her anger was now replaced with shame. She had judged her grandfather too quickly and too harshly. It also explained why the Ghost Rider wanted to keep her away from the book. A Stark who read the Darkhold to build the Nexus, that was what the Lord of Hell wanted. "Why didn't he tell me?"

"He's too proud to let you know how much he suffered. He doesn't even know I'm here to tell you the truth. He's not going to be happy when he finds out."

"Let me worry about that. Where's he? I have to see him."

"Follow me."

The Ancient One led her back to her grandfather's room. Ana wasn't sure if it was the same room; they all looked similar.

"I told her the truth," the Ancient One announced.

He frowned, but didn't seem exactly shocked. The Ancient One left them alone once again.

"Are you hungry?" he asked Ana.

"No."

"Well, remind me when you are. It's easy for me to forget you need sustenance. There's not much food to be found here, but I won't let you starve either."

"You… don't eat?"

"No. What you see is my astral form, materialized by Mephisto upon death. I don't eat, sleep, or excrete."

"And obviously, don't age…" He didn't look any older than he had been on the day of his death.

"No," he confirmed.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out. "I was too quick to judge you. I have this… temper. I get angry over something, then take it out on people I care about. I hurt them."

"Except you were right to be angry with me. Like you said, I left a mess too big in my wake for a kid to deal with. Tony didn't even have time to properly grieve, or prepare himself for fatherhood."

"Yeah, but I guess that's what brought us so close. We were so different from each other. He loved the fame, the attention… I was shy and private. But none of these mattered when we got together in the shop, traveled the world, or just had ice-cream on the beach. I was never worried, at least not for myself, when he got drunk. Drunk or sober, he wouldn't even raise his voice to me. His patience was just endless. I guess the Stark temper skipped a generation. For a long time, I didn't even know he was giving me the childhood he wished he had. I mean, I could always feel something was bothering him, and I wanted to make it go away, but I had no idea what I was dealing with until I found out about you."

"I don't know if you're going to believe me. I understand if you don't. But I love him, Ana. I love him as much as he loves you. And I love you, too. I shouldn't be happy that you're here. It's so wrong. But here you are, and you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. So, how can I not be happy?" He smiled apologetically.

Ana was crying now. She had never been loved by a grandparent before. Something in his attitude reminded her of her dad, and even though she was stuck in some weird-ass dimension, she felt almost home. She hugged him. He was hesitant at first, but then, he hugged her back. His body was unnaturally cold, but the hug somehow warmed her still.

"I love you, too. And I'm sorry you suffered so much."

"It doesn't matter anymore. You make all the pain go away."

Yeah, that was exactly the kind of thing her dad would say. "Still, we gotta return home."

"I want to show you something. Come."

He took her to the deeper levels of the cave, where the air was a lot colder and everything was darker. But there was a main chamber here, larger than any of the others, and it looked like it was a makeshift workshop. He had been building a car.

"This is for the new Ghost Rider, in case he comes."

Circling the vehicle, Ana gasped at her grandfather's resourcefulness. "How did you…"

They went deeper into the workshop, where dark ore veins were sticking out on the ground. She was almost going to touch them to examine the material, but he stopped her.

"It's dark matter in its purest form," he explained. "Very dangerous, but also very versatile. I use it to power the car."

"I see…"

"The Darkhold is made of this as well," he said insinuatingly.

Ana shifted on her feet awkwardly, trying to decide how to explain. At last, she decided to be honest. If there was anyone who could truly understand her moral struggle, it was him. "I might have inherited something else from you. I'm good at manipulating people. Not necessarily in an evil way. I'm just good at telling them what they want to hear to get what I want. It's a skill I only use to protect our family. I lied to my friends to get the Darkhold, true. Then I ended up here…"

"How exactly is the Darkhold going to help you?"

"It can help me bring my boyfriend back. It can help me prepare for Thanos."

He frowned. "Thanos?"

"The Ancient One told me about him. Look, ever since New York, my dad's been obsessed with the alien mastermind behind the attack. And I've been helping him prepare for whoever that was. The Ancient One told me his name. And his plan."

He shook his head angrily. "She shouldn't have done that. You and Tony are no match for Thanos."

At that moment, Ana came up with an idea. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"The reason I wanted the Darkhold in the first place was to finish what you started. To discover the other five elements. I've already discovered the second element without the book's help! But I don't have the time or the resources to do the same with the remaining stones. So, what if you read the book? Can it still corrupt you if you're not human anymore?"

"Don't let the Spirit of Vengeance hear this plan of yours. If he finds out, he kills you. Even I can't protect you."

"Fine! Just tell me if you're up for it or not."

"Let's worry about getting out of here first. Then we'll deal with Thanos."

"Oh, by the way…" She tapped on the Arc Reactor to disable the suit, and gave it to him. "You're right. It's not safe for me to parade two of the elements around in this place, if they're something Mephisto wants. Do whatever you have to do with it. I trust you, Grandpa."

He smiled. His eyes turned black, and dark wisps started dancing around the fingers of his right hand, the hand that held the Arc Reactor. The wisps wrapped themselves around the device, became denser, and swallowed it. Once the Arc Reactor was gone, the dark wisps disappeared, and his eyes returned to normal. He went to the car he had been building, and pulled out a toolbox from under it.

"Come on. Let's see if Tony's taught you well."

* * *

"_Hey, Dad. This is day 5… I think. I don't know if time works differently here. Not much has changed since yesterday. Grandpa and I still have a lot of catching up to do. I told him about Charles Hinton's vision today. I know it's not really possible, but I think I finally managed to give him a headache… He's not too bad. I can see why you love him so much. I wish you were here… You know what, scratch that. No one deserves to be here. There's something about this place, I feel like it's draining me. It's hard to explain. I've taken some pictures. I can't wait to show you. I don't know if I'm wasting the battery power on these video diaries, but then, what else can you do with a phone in Hell?"_

Frustrated, she ended the recording and tossed the phone on the makeshift bed. Maybe she was going crazy.

"Ana?"

She looked up, surprised to hear Robbie's voice. He was standing at the entrance. "Robbie? What are you doing here?"

He approached, and sat down beside her. "I made another deal. Now we're going to settle _his_ scores. All of them. He has no shortage of enemies here."

"Coulson and Fitz?"

"They got out."

"Your uncle?"

"Dead."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. By the way, while inside Mack, the Devil told him that you're not dead. They're not going to call your father."

"Mack?" she asked, confused, even though she was glad to hear that her dad wasn't going to be informed.

"After you left for the Compound, the Devil decided to jump into his body. He really hates it here. I had to make this new deal to free Mack."

"Well, the Rider is not the only one who hates it here…"

"Howard will find a way to get us out. He's a smart guy."

"You two are on a first-name basis already?"

He shrugged.

"Sorry you got stuck in our family drama."

"You got stuck in mine first."

They both laughed at the absurdity of the situation. "You had no idea, did you?" Ana asked, shaking her head. "My grandfather, here?"

"No."

"We got something for you."

Ana had decided to show him his new car. Robbie might not be a genius engineer, but he knew how to appreciate a good machine. She had somewhat learned to navigate the cave by now, so she took him down to the workshop easily.

Her grandfather was here as well.

"You like it?" Grandpa Stark asked Robbie.

Robbie admired the car for a minute or two. "It's not the Charger, but it will do. _Gracias_, Howard…

"_De nada."_

"It's time for vengeance." With these words, his skull burst into flames. The Rider had taken over. He got into his brand new car, and sped away. Luckily, the tunnels were wide enough for a car to pass through. The problem was to navigate, for they all looked too similar, but Robbie—or the other thing—didn't seem to have a problem with that. After he left, Grandpa Stark started tidying the place up. Ana decided to help him.

"The versatility of dark matter reminds me of vibranium."

"I've been told Wakanda is no longer hiding in the shadows? Have you and Tony visited them yet?"

"Oh, no. We've exchanged some e-mails. We'd been working on nanotech, but it turned out Wakandans had already perfected it, so they helped Dad. I wasn't there when he finished designing Mark L. Too busy preparing for the future at SHIELD. Dad sent me the blueprints. I guess he wanted me to be able to protect myself."

She touched where the Arc Reactor was supposed to be, then remembered that it was gone. It was a cruel precaution, but necessary. "Tell you what, maybe _you _will be our tour guide if we go to Wakanda."

He smiled. "I would love that."

Once they were done cleaning around the shop, Ana slammed the large stone crate shut, and seated herself on the lid cross-legged. "How did you convince the King of Wakanda to give you vibranium back in the day?"

"I'm good at telling people what they want to hear, too."

She heaved a pensive sigh. "It's not like I'm a pathological liar. There's always truth to the things I say. But I make sure to use even honesty to get what I want… Does that make me a bad person?"

"It makes you a smart one."

"It makes me a manipulator. No one likes me. No one trusts me. They never will. Not really."

He came to sit down beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. "That's the cost. You were right about me, child. Everyone I trusted kept things from me. Even Peggy and Jarvis. Maria is the only exception, and it cost her her life. But the worst part? I still don't regret my choices. Most of them, at least. The greater good rarely outweighs my own self-interest."


	58. Chapter 58

Time was passing, Ana knew it, but she was trying not to panic. Simmons had spent 6 months on an alien planet and the team hadn't given up on her. They weren't going to presume Ana dead just because she was gone for a month or so, especially after they had been assured by the Spirit of Vengeance that she was safe.

She might as well use this time to be productive.

"How do _you_ know about Thanos?" she asked Grandpa Stark one day.

"The Masters of the Mystic Arts live and train in Kamar-Taj. There are three Sanctums around the world, connected to this place: The New York, London, and Hong Kong Sanctums. Sigyn was invited to the New York Sanctum, while I was still young. She met the Ancient One there. I never knew until the Ancient One herself told me."

"So, your trusted friend was keeping secrets from you. What a shocker… Anyway, what does Thanos have anything to do with it?"

"Sigyn had a vision of the future there, with the help of a… magical artifact. She saw Thanos adopt her, and make her kill Loki. The Ancient One normally couldn't see anything beyond her own death, but she saw this through Sigyn."

"So, Sigyn knew about Thanos, too? Why didn't she warn anyone? Is it a part of her strategy or something? What's her game?"

"There's no game, Ana. No strategy."

"What about the Ancient One?"

"She says it's not her fight."

"Yeah, she told me the same thing… How could they?" she cried, furious. "Where's that woman? I want to talk to her, now!"

"Ana, calm down. People who dabble in magic, they're not like us. Their way of thinking is much more… subtle, especially when it comes to visions. I think self-fulfilling prophecies are what they fear the most."

"That's bullshit, the future can be changed! I've done it before, I'll do it again! Hell, we'll do it together: You, me, and Dad…"

"Okay, first, mind your language. Secondly, how can you be so sure you can change the future at will? You simply got lucky that night. Very lucky."

And then, she realized something else. "Wait a minute… You said Sigyn was forced to kill Loki in that vision… Loki is dead."

"Is he, though? He's called the God of Lies for a reason. If I know one thing about Asgardians, it's the fact that they live up to their titles."

"I have to go to Asgard…"

"What?"

If Loki was alive, it wasn't too late to have a word with him. "I have to go to Asgard, and talk to Loki. He knows Thanos. He can tell us how to defeat him!"

"Terrible idea."

"Why?"

"Because if he chose to serve Thanos, he either worships the Mad Titan, or dreads him. Either way, he won't help you."

Ana was going to argue, but the Ancient One interrupted. "Howard,_ he_ is back."

"I wasn't expecting him to be done with his enemies so soon."

"He's not, but he says there's a rift between Hell and Earth. Someone on the other side has been stealing dark matter from here, even I can feel it. This might be your only chance to get home."

It looked like they were going to continue this discussion at home. She wondered whose plan her dad would support. Well, after having a major freakout upon seeing his dad, of course…

"Let's go!" he said.

They ran through the maze and to the mouth of the cave. Robbie—or, the other guy—was in his car, all lit up. A chain was wrapped around his torso. They all got into the car, and the Ghost Rider hit the gas.

"Be prepared for a fight," the Ancient One said gravely. "I doubt we're the only ones who sense the rift."

Grandpa nodded. "Frost and his troops will be waiting."

"_Troops_?" Ana gasped. "I'm so glad we're finally getting the hell out of here… Pun intended." _I'm not going to die today,_ she told herself. _I'm going to see Dad again_. _I'm going to give him his father back, and the name of the alien who's been haunting him since New York. I don't care how many hell beasts Whitney Frost has at her disposal._

"I'm not coming," the Ancient One said. "This is where I belong now."

"What? Are you insane?" Seriously, who would willingly stay in a place like this? Grandpa had once explained to her why the natural laws of Earth didn't apply here. The very atmosphere of Hell absorbed all forms of energy. It was also why everybody who was trapped here started feeling morose after a while.

"When I was alive, I'd draw power from the Dark Dimension. I kept telling myself that I had to stay alive for the greater good. In truth, I was just scared of death. I'm lucky I didn't fall into the hands of Dormammu when I died, and ended up here instead."

"My gosh, who's Dormammu?"

"Not someone we'll ever have to worry about," Grandpa Stark assured her.

Suddenly, another thought crossed her mind, and she turned to the Ancient One again. "How did Sigyn see the future?"

"Why do you ask?"

"There's another Infinity Stone on Earth, isn't there? The Time Stone, it was yours."

Amusement flickered across her pallid face. Ana had always expected a lecture from her about why she shouldn't be meddling with things she didn't understand, like the ones she had got from Sigyn and Thor all the time, but the Ancient One seemed to be enjoying Ana's determination instead. A practitioner of magic who didn't scoff at science was a rare thing, so Ana was trying to be respectful to her craft in return.

"It was in my possession, yes."

"Can I borrow it?"

"You're not going to give up, are you?"

"Never."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from the child my son raised," Grandpa Stark bragged.

"I doubt Doctor Strange will let you borrow it. I know I wouldn't. It's too dangerous in the hands of anyone who's not the Sorcerer Supreme. But because you asked so nicely, I'm going to help you. Go to 117A, Bleecker Street. That's where you'll find him. Tell him _'Death is what gives life meaning.'_ He'll know who sent you. He can use the stone to stop Thanos before it's too late."

They were going towards the mountains in the distance. Ana now had a chance to take a more careful look at the Hell dimension. It was mostly uninhabited. They sometimes came across dark silhouettes against the blue haze, but the Rider was driving so fast that she didn't have the chance to examine them. They ran away when they saw the car anyway. They feared the Spirit of Vengeance.

"Almost there," her grandfather was whispering to Ana her every once in a while.

The car eventually entered a steep path between the two mountains. A valley. And an ambush. Suddenly, they were surrounded by fiery skeletons, dozens of them. They looked somewhat like the Ghost Rider, only they were just bones without any flesh, and they were much less friendly. They were throwing themselves at the car. The Ghost Rider roared, and the car started burning brighter, consuming the skeletons. Their screeches were unbearable. Ana covered her ears, wishing she had her suit. She was going to be completely useless during the fight. Grandpa Stark pulled her to his chest.

"Close your eyes," he said. "It's going to be over soon. I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you. I love you so much, Ana. No matter what happens today, please remember that."

She tried to relax into his embrace, trying to ignore the mayhem going on outside. And she found herself trusting this man she had known all her life, and yet only for a few weeks at the same time. She trusted him unconditionally, the way she trusted her father. Perhaps blood indeed ran thicker than water. "I love you, too."

The car stopped. Ana looked up. There was a blonde woman whose face was covered with a golden mask, standing in front of them. "Retreat!" she ordered, and the remaining skeletons started backing away from them.

"Frost?" Ana asked under breath.

"Yes," her grandfather confirmed.

The Ghost Rider roared in rage again, but as he got out of the car, Frost disappeared in a cloud of Darkforce. The Rider roared again, this time obviously in frustration. Ana was just relieved. It was a good thing the one demon the others didn't want to mess with was on their side.

They all followed him out of the car. The rift the Ancient One was talking about was just 15-20 feet ahead. Ana could see the air rippling there. They walked up to it in silence, then the two men stopped in their tracks, as if there was an unspoken agreement between them.

Ana stopped, too. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

"We still have a deal," Grandpa Stark said darkly, to the Rider.

The Rider nodded.

"Take her to SHIELD, tell them to use the TAHITI Protocol on her. They'll know what it means. She can't remember anything about me, Hell, or Thanos… Charles Hinton as well."

At that moment, it dawned on her. She was going to have a taste of her own poison. Ana considered herself a good schemer, but she wasn't on the top of the food chain. That spot was reserved for the one and only Howard Stark. _"I'm good at telling people what they want to hear, too." _That was what he had said. What he had meant was _"I'm BETTER at telling people what they want to hear." _He had never intended to go back to the land of the living.

Once again, she had fallen into the trap of induction, as JARVIS had once put it. She had trusted a man the way she trusted her father, just because they shared some DNA. And now, that mistake was going to cost her everything.

"Grandpa, please! Don't do this! Don't let them take away my memories! Stay here if you want, but I need to remember everything I learned."

"I'm sorry, my dear. I told you, the greater good has rarely outweighed my own self-interest."

"And what self-interest is it this time? Are you working for Thanos?"

"What? No!"

"Why, then? I'm trying to protect my father! Your son! Doesn't he mean anything to you?"

"He means _everything _to me. So do you. I'm doing this to protect you. You two are no match for the likes of Thanos. The Mad Titan plans to kill half of the universe. If you stay out of his way, you have a 50% chance to survive. But if you fight him, you're 100% going to die. It's simple math."

The Rider growled impatiently, but behind him, the Ancient One had summoned some kind of shields. "Howard… Don't do this," she said threateningly.

He summoned Darkforce wisps in response. "You know what's going to happen to her, right? Dying in a timeline she doesn't belong in, you know what that means? Her soul will have no place to go. She'll be trapped in her dead body forever… An eternal torment, worse than the dungeons of Hell. If that's her destiny, I'll do whatever I have to do to change it."

"What if you're the one who's sealing it?" the Ancient One asked. "What if that vision is only going to come to pass because of what you choose to do here today?"

Ana nodded frantically. "She's right. I've changed the future before. Just have some faith in me, please! Dad would. If I told him I could change the future, he would believe me!"

"I don't know, Howard," Robbie, who had returned to his human form, said. "I don't want to do this to Ana. It feels wrong."

"_Wrong_? What do you think she'll do once she goes back to Tony? She'll tell him everything! You know how headstrong she is. Tony is even worse. The two will open another portal here. They won't stop until they get me back and unleash Hell upon Earth! They will awaken Mephisto's wrath! How many innocent people will die, then?"

Yeah, he was good at telling people what they needed to hear. But then, so was she. "I won't," she begged Robbie. "I swear I won't say a word!"

"She's lying," Howard Stark said. "Her ultimate loyalty lies with Tony. It's the one thing that will never change. And even if it didn't? She'd still speak with Strange about Thanos! And Strange would try to save his mentor this time! We can't take the risk!"

She didn't know about Doctor Strange, but her grandfather was right about Ana. Lying to her dad about things like the Darkhold was one thing, but looking at his face and pretending like she had never been to another dimension and met his father? She didn't have the heart for _that_, especially after Siberia.

"If you do this, one day I'll figure out what happened here, and I'll never forgive you," Ana threatened him.

He shrugged. "At least you'll be alive not to forgive me."

"Howard," the Ancient One repeated, approaching them dangerously. "I don't want to fight you, but I will."

"So be it…" The wisps became longer and denser, like he was holding a mass of tentacles in each palm.

"Go!" the Ancient One told her. "I'll hold them off, but you must hurry! Tell your father everything, then find Sigyn and Doctor Strange!"

"Thank you," Ana whispered, and ran. She ran to the rift as fast as she could. She didn't look back. The vortex sucked her in, and a second later, she stepped into her own world.

She studied her surroundings briefly. She had passed through a circular contraption, some kind of portal generator. Something looking rather scientific than magical, but it was half-buried in debris. I'm fact, there was debris everywhere, but the room looked familiar. She was back on the Playground. What the hell had happened while she was away? Then she heard faint footsteps dying away in the distance. She started running again.

"Daisy? Coulson? Mack? Fitz-Simmons?"

But it wasn't any of her friends she found in the abandoned base. It was General Talbot. Actually, under these circumstances, this was even better. Talbot might be a pain in the ass, but he was Air Force. These guys took care of their own, and everyone knew the Starks were family to Colonel Rhodes. She could trust them.

"Ms. Stark? Where did you come from?" Talbot asked, obviously surprised to see her. Then he returned to his men with a scolding frown. "I thought we swept the whole place?"

Ana came to a halt, panting. "Not their fault. I just came through a portal."

Nobody laughed.

"A portal?"

She remembered the phone in her pocket. She took it out and gave it to Talbot. Even if they erased her memories, there were enough pictures and videos in the phone for her dad to understand what had happened. "There's no time to explain. He's coming for me… You have to take this to my father."

He took the phone and gave it to one of the soldiers. "Son, take this to the Avengers Compound. You know where that is, right?"

"Upstate New York, sir."

"Good. Go! No matter what happens, don't stop!"

The soldier saluted, and stormed off. Ana was grateful. "We must leave, too."

"Ms. Stark, calm down. You're safe now."

"None of us is safe!"

"Sir!" another soldier said warily. When they looked, they saw the Ghost Rider, all lit up, approaching menacingly.

Talbot cursed. "Tell me you have a suit with you."

"No."

"Get behind us, then."

She did. They all pointed their guns at him, but it was a useless effort. The Spirit of Vengeance wouldn't kill them, though. They were going to survive this. So, Ana turned around and started running to the stairs in her desperation.

She was about to make it to the main gate when she was caught.

"Robbie!" she cried desperately. "Robbie, look around! Something is not right! Our friends might be in danger! Daisy, Coulson, Mack, Fitz, Simmons… Come on, Robbie, we're friends! Please, don't do this. We're friends, we—"

The Rider just slammed her head against a pile of debris, and everything went dark.

* * *

When she woke up, she was still on the Playground, in the Containment Chamber. Daisy was here, too.

"Daisy?" she asked, shooting up in the bed. The first thing she had felt was relief, for her mind was still her own, untouched. But there was something else that didn't seem right. There was soot smeared across the white walls of the chamber. Then she recalled finding the base in ruins upon returning from Hell. "What happened?"

"A lot… Are you okay? Robbie hit you pretty hard in the head."

"Where's he?"

"He returned to Hell, took the Darkhold with him. You don't have to worry about that book anymore."

"Did he tell you who I met there?"

"Yeah. He told us about Howard Stark."

"What about you? Seriously, what happened while I was gone?"

"We've been through a different kind of hell, and there's not much time to tell you about it. Long story short, the whole world thinks I shot Talbot in the head, but it was an LMD. They're coming for us. Don't worry, you won't be held responsible for any of this. We're going to make you look like a _victim_ of SHIELD. We owe you that much, I guess. SHIELD is basically an illegitimate organization, again, but Coulson pulled some strings. You'll be sent to…"

"… TAHITI?"

In response, a look of guilt crossed Daisy's face. Ana went up to her. "Daisy, listen to me! I don't care what Robbie told you guys, you can't let them do this! You know what Charles showed me! This is how it begins!"

"What if this is how it ends?"

"No! I finally know who's really behind New York, you can't make me forget _that_! You'll doom us all!" She looked at the point where the security cam was hidden. "Coulson! I know who sent Loki! Are you really going to brush it off? Come on!"

The door whooshed open, and Simmons entered. With an injector in her hand. Ana started shaking with intense fear and panic coursing through every fiber of her being. She knew the TAHITI Protocol well enough. They were going to cut her skull open, and then implant false memories into her brain with Memory Overwriting Machine, all the while she was wide awake. But the procedure itself wasn't even what really scared her. What really scared her was the fact that her mind, her greatest weapon against Thanos, would be sabotaged. For years, she had been clawing her way through the unknown to get to this point, to get answers, and now they were going to be snatched from her, by those she considered friends, in the most callous way imaginable. Maybe, just maybe, the phone had made it to her dad, but deep down, she knew she wasn't that lucky. She didn't dare ask about it.

"Simmons… please."

"I'm so sorry, Ana. I know you mean well. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions. That's how we lost Radcliffe. We're not going to lose you, too."

"You know I'll realize something is wrong, right? Even if you change my memories—"

"They're not going to implant false memories. I've given the doctors specific instructions. They know even the smallest hint is enough to lead you to the truth, so they won't give you anything. You'll just know that you spent some time in another dimension, and were brought back by Robbie Reyes, that's all."

"Don't do this. If you do, you'll regret it," she begged one last time.

Simmons averted her gaze. "Daisy, hold her."

"Daisy, please," she begged one last time.

"You once told me we had to go against our instincts to change the future. That's what we're doing now. Everything's going to be alright. We'll be ready for Thanos."

Daisy grabbed Ana and pushed her against the wall. Simmons jabbed the injector into her neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was tough to write. I hated to ruin things between Ana and Coulson's team. But it needed to be done. Please remember that it's not to demonize the team or anything, but to show the consequences of losing the faith people had in you.
> 
> Ana was right to think this is what starts the chain of events that will lead to the end of the world, but the others were right to be worried about the equally destructive consequences of messing with the Hell dimension. The Ghost Rider had a deal with Howard, so Robbie didn't have much of a choice, and Howard just thought he was protecting his family. It's just everyone fighting for what they think is right. Anyway, excuse my rambling. I just love conflict.
> 
> As for the Ancient One… Well, Robbie had powers similar to the Masters of the Mystic Arts by the end of Season 4, so in my headcanon, he found himself a mentor in Hell. It might as well be the Ancient One herself.


	59. Chapter 59

Sipping her latte, Pepper was anxiously scanning the coffee shop, even though she wasn't quite sure what to expect. The Black Widow was a master of disguise, after all, and she had been on the run for a while. It was a great risk for her to take, to send an e-mail to Pepper last night and request a meeting here, saying she was scared for Ana's life. It was the only reason Pepper had gone behind Tony's back and come here.

Pepper was in her own disguise. With her white baseball cap and large sunglasses, she could pass for a Hamptons housewife treating herself after a yoga class or something. It wasn't long until she spotted Natasha. Her long red hair had been cut short and dyed blonde. She was wearing a black leather jacket and a pair of dark jeans, which wasn't very different from her usual style, but she could somehow look like someone else entirely and blend in the crowd. Pepper was also pretty sure she had managed to hide several weapons into that outfit. Without a word, Natasha came to sit down at her table.

Pepper didn't ask why she had contacted her instead of Tony. Whatever she had to say, she wanted to be believed, and Tony was too stubborn to believe anything coming from her right now. Even if it concerned Ana.

"Thank you for meeting me," she started.

"What's this about?" Pepper cut to the chase. Just because she had come here didn't mean she had forgotten how Natasha had switched sides. She understood her reasons, but Natasha's betrayal had hurt Tony on a personal level. It angered her to see how unwilling his teammates were to see how much he cared. Well, maybe she was a hypocrite to say that, because for a time, Pepper had refused to see it, too. Until she had found out she could have lost both him and Ana in some forgotten Siberian bunker because there had been no one to calm them down, to talk some sense to them. Pepper could have made so much difference if she had been where she had been needed.

"I think Ana is in danger."

"I figured that much… What sort of danger?"

She looked around, licked her lips nervously—the Black Widow being nervous alone spoke volumes about the severity of the situation—and began to explain, "When I was undercover in Monaco, as Tony's PA… In the restaurant, just before Vanko's attack… I heard something Ana told Tony. You were in the bathroom."

Pepper remembered those simpler times, when their problems were as simple as everything else. When the craziest thing in the world was Tony's suits… Tony was dying back then. And Pepper had failed to see that, too. Well, she had realized something wasn't right, of course, but she hadn't been able to figure out the man she loved was sick, and needed her badly. What else had she missed?

Natasha continued, "And I made a mistake. I reported it to Fury. You see, it was a book."

"A book?"

"Justin Hammer was trying to embarrass Ana in front of that reporter. He brought up her internship at Momentum Labs. She passed it off smoothly, though, and once they were alone at their own table, she and Tony joked about it. Ana said her bosses were crazy, looking for a magic book that showed you everything you wanted to know. And that was it. For them, it was just something to laugh at. But I knew there was more."

"The book was real…"

"And Fury was looking for it. So, I told him. I never thought he could use Ana to find it… or worse, read it."

"Natasha?" Pepper asked warily. An uneasy feeling was forming in her stomach. "What does this book do?"

"Nothing good. It's called the Darkhold. That's all I know. Fury was never able to find it. But recently, I've heard rumors that the book has resurfaced. And Ana's been seen around Eli Morrow, a former employee at Momentum Labs, and his nephew, Robbie Reyes… Ever heard of the Ghost Rider?"

"Oh my God…" Of course she had. They had been keeping tabs on all enhanced individuals around the globe, both for potential threats and potential recruits. There was this vigilante who was hunting down and killing thieves, rapists, gang members and such in LA. They said he had a flaming skull.

"That's all I know," Natasha said. "I'm not sure what the hell Coulson is up to these days, but you might want to bring Ana home. If she's working for SHIELD, it's bad. If she's working for Fury, it's worse. Not something I want on my conscience. That's why I contacted you."

Pepper sighed deeply to collect her thoughts, instinctively running her thumb over the engagement ring. "Tony has to know."

"Agreed. And if you ask me, he's the only one who can talk her out of doing anything stupid."

"Is he? I'm in love with Tony, but I'm not blind. _He_ is the reason Ana is after this book. Ever since New York, she's been obsessed with the idea of ending his nightmares. They're fighting a boogeyman, Nat!"

"That's what I thought at first. That's why I wanted to get close to Ana. She was desperate, and I feared Fury might try to use her desperation to control her. I thought she could come to me for help, because she surely couldn't go to Tony if Fury told her the truth about the book. Then I realized something. Ana isn't fighting a boogeyman. She fights to be on the top of the food chain, to have the power to control _everything_, so that nothing can control her. She doesn't need Fury's mind games to go after that book. Most of us were often so preoccupied with Tony's megalomania that we overlooked Ana's ambitions, until she became too dangerous to be ignored. Perhaps that's why she liked living under Tony's shadow. She could hide in plain sight."

"Thanks for telling me," Pepper said, even though she disagreed about the last part.

Natasha walked out of the coffee shop, leaving an appalled Pepper Potts behind.

* * *

By the time Pepper returned home, still not sure how to break the news to Tony, he was already distraught. It was now public news that something wasn't right at SHIELD. The dead body of Director Mace had been found, the autopsy pointing out he must have been murdered by Daisy Johnson, and furthermore, he wasn't a real Inhuman as he had claimed. Tony had made a few calls and found out that the base had been destroyed, and Coulson's team was missing. So was Ana. General Talbot had invited them to his office, saying there was something they needed to see. Something that was highly classified.

Tony's fingers were trembling as he was trying to button up his shirt, so Pepper came to his help. "There's something else," she started. This was going to make things even worse, but he needed to hear. "I didn't go to a massage this morning. I met Natasha. She wanted to see me."

"Why?"

So, she told him. About the book, about Romanoff's suspicions… He had to sit down after she was finished.

"Whatever happened at SHIELD, do you think it has anything to do with that book?" she asked, even though it didn't make much sense. What could Ana have gained from killing Mace and framing Daisy for it? But Tony might have an idea of how her mind would work, even under the influence of some evil magic book. "Do you think Ana used it and it backfired?"

"I don't know, Pep," he said in a small voice, his shoulders sagging. "I don't know anything anymore. God, how did I let this happen?"

"We don't even know _what_ happened. There is only one way to find out."

* * *

"_What_ is that cloud?" Pepper asked after watching the footage of Phil, Fitz, Reyes, and Ana vanish away by a wave of white cloud.

"We don't know," General Talbot replied. "But we do know Ms. Stark was the only one who didn't come back from it."

Talbot had put all cards on the table, she could see it. No one was giving them bullshit, but it looked like Talbot's knowledge was limited, too.

"It's not a cloud," Tony said flatly, his face now even paler. "It's a friction, between two dimensions."

Pepper looked at him, taken aback and willing to think he was just rambling nonsense. "You're not saying…"

"That they were stuck between dimensions? Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. Ana must have been pulled deeper than the others. That's why she couldn't make it back."

"So, is she… trapped?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Tony's voice was calm, but she knew it wasn't because he knew how to bring her back. It only a matter of time before he lost it completely. Over the years, Pepper had become an expert at reading him.

"Where is Phil now?" she demanded.

Talbot shrugged. "Missing, along with his entire team. Trust me, Ms. Potts, you're not the only one who wants answers. But when we get them, you'll be the first to hear, I guarantee you."

"We should've been informed a long time ago! We're her family!"

"I didn't know either. Coulson has a habit of keeping such things under wraps."

"I need a copy of this footage," Tony said.

"Mr. Stark, this is a highly confidential—"

"I need it," he repeated, and the firmness in his voice won the argument. By the time they walked out of the building, Tony had a flash drive that contained the footage.

* * *

Once they returned to the Compound, the first thing Tony did was to call Vision and retreat to his workshop. Pepper decided to be patient and give him some space. She wasn't feeling well either. Questions whose answers she dreaded were floating in her mind: Where was Ana? How were they going to rescue her? Or… could they? What if they were too late?

_She had her suit_, Pepper kept reminding herself. As much as she hated the damn suits, she had to admit that they had saved Tony's, Ana's, and Rhodey's lives countless times. Even Pepper's… How else could she have survived Killian, his attack on the Malibu Mansion, the explosion at the Expo, or Stane? How else the man she loved could have escaped the Afghan cave? Now Ana had been sucked into an unknown dimension, and her having a suit was the only thing that gave Pepper some sense of comfort.

But then, they were also the reason the whole family was such a mess.

With these thoughts, she dozed off.

FRIDAY said it was 5.35 AM when she woke up in the bed alone. She also said Tony was still in the workshop, and maybe she should go check up on him. Pepper agreed. There was a very thin line between giving Tony some space and denying him the support he needed, so she wanted to go there before she crossed that line.

"_Mr. Stark, what you're trying to achieve is, in the simplest terms, impossible_," Vision was saying._ "An inter-dimensional rift has never been—"_

"_I don't care!"_ Tony hissed. _"The others made it back, so it must have been done before! Give me a wavelength, a frequency, something, anything! This is all your fault, you know. If you hadn't snuck out to go on a date with that witch, like a horny teenager…"_

No reply came from Vision. When Pepper entered, she found the android hanging his head in shame, meaning he, too, blamed himself for whatever it was they had been talking about.

"Ms. Potts," he greeted her, with a grateful look on his face, and walked out. Pepper was trying to keep an open mind, but it would be a lie to say she felt comfortable in the presence of a machine like Vision. Maybe it was her lizard brain feeling threatened by something that was much more powerful than any human could hope to become. The Starks were fascinated by it—and apparently, Wanda Maximoff, too, though hers was a different kind of fascination—but Pepper didn't see the world the way they did.

Tony had sunk deep into his swivel chair. Seeing him like this was scary. Seeing Tony in a universe without his daughter evoked the same kind of queasy feeling one would get from seeing a person with a freshly severed limb. And yet, she couldn't shake off the idea that it was also a self-inflicted wound.

"I'd been thinking," he started before she could ask anything. "What would I do, if I got trapped between this world and another, if I found myself outside the visible human spectrum… The answer is obvious: I'd seek out the creature with the widest range of perception, which, in our case, is Vision."

Pepper gasped in shock. "Are you saying… she came here after that explosion?"

"I watched the security footage, couldn't find anything. Then I made Vision watch it. He tweaked them a bit, and…" He started playing the video. Ana entering the Compound, looking for Vision, then coming into this very workshop, where Tony was working on a suit for the Parker kid, oblivious to her presence, and then something startling her and dragging her away, into the unknown…

Pepper felt like someone had reached into her chest and was squeezing her heart. This wasn't the dangerous Stark heiress with an insatiable thirst for power people believed Ana to be. This was just a scared kid.

She knew the whole Compound was monitored 24/7 for cases like this, but still… She had never thought they could actually need it one day.

"Oh my God… Wait, what's that?"

Tony paused the video. Behind Ana, there was something. A dark, hooded figure. It must have been what had dragged Ana deeper into the other dimension.

"Someone took her," Tony stated gravely. "I don't know who it is, but it doesn't matter. I have to open a portal, and go there. I'm sorry, Pep, but I have to."

Pepper gritted her teeth angrily. She wasn't angry that Tony would go, no. That had to be done. She was angry because this whole nightmare could have been prevented easily. All he had had to do was to listen to her.

"Do you now see why I wanted you to stop being Iron Man?"

"Honey, you know I can't stop…"

"Yeah, because you're preparing for a boogeyman, Tony!" she cried. "Natasha said Ana would've gone after the book anyway, but she's wrong. She doesn't know Ana the way I do! You heard what she said to that Reyes guy! You've seen how she was! He killed that woman in front of her, for reading the Darkhold! Burned her to ashes, and Ana didn't even care! She still wanted the book! Don't look me in the eye and tell me that's normal! But she's only like that because she thinks something is coming. _You_ put those ideas into her head, Tony! She was fine before New York. You think you're preventing some disaster, but what if _this_ is the disaster?_ Our_ disaster?"

He lowered his head quickly, but not before she had caught a glimpse of what his expression had changed into, which immediately made her regret her words. It didn't mean her opinion about the boogeyman had changed. It just wasn't the right time to discuss whose fault it was. Neither of them could bear the thought of losing Ana. They should be sharing this burden, not place the blame on one another.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's okay. You're not wrong."

She wrapped her arms around him, and pressed his head against her stomach, stroking his hair gently. She had made up her mind. "Maybe I can't help you open a portal, but once you do it—and I know you'll do it—I'm coming with you."

He straightened up, surprised. "Pepper, I can't—"

Pepper pulled another chair to sit down and took his hands into hers. "She's _our_ daughter, and if there's a way to get her back, we're going to find it together. Besides, she once suited up for me. I owe her. Don't look at me like that, I know you have a suit for me stashed away somewhere."

She was also tempted to demand a promise from him that he would stop being Iron Man after getting Ana back, but she knew it was a promise he could never keep, so she didn't bother.

He looked at her with mock suspicion. "Okay, who are you, and what did you to my fiancée?"

"I'm serious."

A look of gratitude and admiration from Tony pierced her, then he shrugged. "I don't even know where to start."

"Well, how about having breakfast first? Come on, that big brain of yours needs some nourishment." With these words, she dragged him out of the workshop.

* * *

Before Tony could figure out how to open the portal, something else happened. Daisy crashed an inquiry meeting organized by several intelligence agencies to discuss the death of Director Mace, and shot General Talbot in the head. It was all over the news. As shocking as it was, Pepper and Tony were too preoccupied to pay much attention to it at first. But then, they received a call from Mrs. Talbot, saying her husband had survived and asked for Tony Stark as soon as he woke up from the surgery. So, they went to the hospital.

The doctor warned them the man was likely to have trouble speaking from now on, and advised them to be patient with him. When they entered his room, Talbot was awake. His son and wife were there, too. Mrs. Talbot greeted them, then took the boy and left.

"General Talbot, I'm sorry—" Tony started, but Talbot cut him off. He was in a bad shape as expected, but then, he was lucky for someone who had been shot in the head. He would live.

"She's back," he said feebly. "We saw her."

No doubt he was talking about Ana.

"Where?" Tony demanded impatiently, but he would be a lot more impatient than this under normal circumstances. Still, Pepper rubbed his arm to remind him to go easy on the poor guy.

"The base… We were… sweeping. Con—confiscating… She came… out of nowhere. Reyes…. Reyes was after her."

"Robbie Reyes?"

As far as they knew, Reyes and Ana were on good terms. Talbot nodded to confirm. "The phone… Her phone. I gave it to one of my… one of my…."

"One of your men?" Pepper asked when he apparently struggled to find the right word.

He nodded again. "He was bringing it to you."

"We never received it," Tony said.

"Of course you didn't. Reyes got us… He didn't kill us… He just took Ana. When we woke up, she was gone. We were… going to… tell you after… after the meeting."

"Do you know what was in the phone?"

"No."

"Tony, I think we should let General Talbot get some rest. Thank you, general, for helping us, even after what SHIELD did to you."

"I don't think it was Daisy. Or SHIELD. There was an android, built by this… book. She made the… LMDs… Yeah, the LMDs."

Pepper's heart jumped in her chest. There was only one book she could think of…

"Do you think the one that shot you was an LMD?" Tony questioned.

"Yes," he replied and closed his eyes wearily.

Pepper and Tony went out. The hallway was empty. Talbot's wife and son were nowhere in sight. Tony leaned against the wall and threw his head back thoughtfully.

Well, there was good news and bad news. Ana had made it back. There was no reason for them to open a portal to some unknown dimension. But for some reason, Robbie Reyes had taken her. And she might not have read the Darkhold, but someone else definitely had.

She was trying to comfort Tony with a kiss when Mrs. Talbot appeared at the end of the corridor, with a nurse trailing behind her. Their eyes were locked on Tony and Pepper.

"Mr. Stark?" the nurse said.

"Yeah?" Tony mumbled.

"Your daughter is here."

Both Pepper and Tony jumped in place. "What?"

"Someone dropped her at the front gate and left."

"How is she?" Pepper asked the most important question.

"Unconscious, but other than that… fine."

"I want to see her," Tony demanded.

"Of course. Right this way."

Before they left, Mrs. Talbot gave them a sympathetic look. Pepper made a mental note to make sure the Talbots would have anything they might need, and she was sure Tony would agree.

* * *

Like the nurse had said, Ana was fine. There was no sign of assault, no injuries… Pepper had left Tony alone with her, for Ana's first interaction with Pepper was likely to be an awkward and overwhelming one. Soon, having heard of the news, Rhodey and Happy had joined her.

It was almost midnight when Tony came to see them in the hospital yard with a deeply troubled look on his face.

"Amnesia," was the first thing he said. "Being dragged into the other dimension, it's the last thing she remembers."

The others exchanged looks. So, whatever had happened to her over there, they might never find out. Pepper didn't care. She was just glad that Ana was safe now.

"She wants to see you," Tony added with the ghost of a smile.

Pepper didn't waste any time.

Ana was sitting in the bed, hugging her knees in fear. One of the first things Pepper had noticed upon seeing her was the unhealthy amount of weight loss; she mustn't have been fed well in that other dimension, and wherever Reyes had taken her after coming back.

"Hey, Pepper," she said with a timid smile.

"Hi." She wanted to sit on the bed and held her in her arms, but something made her sit on the chair beside instead. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know. Amnesia is scarier than I thought. Dad told you, didn't he?"

"He did."

She released her legs, stretched them, and leaned against the bedhead wearily. Then her gaze lingered on the engagement ring on Pepper's finger. "I know it's been a while, but… congratulations."

"Thank you."

"I always knew this day would come. You and Dad are perfect for each other. I just never imagined it would be like this."

"Neither did I."

"I'm sorry, Pep. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble, for ruining everything for you. And I'm especially sorry for being a full-blown psychopath. I just want you to know that when I joined SHIELD, it was to make things right. To fix my mistakes. Not the opposite. So, I don't know what went wrong… I can't remember. But deep down, I know it's not my fault. I just do. Please, Pepper, you have to believe me! Everything I did, I did it to protect Dad... and you, because he can't live without you. _We_ can't live without you."

Pepper reached forward and took her hand. She could do at least this much, even though she felt like their relationship was never going to be the same. Not anytime soon. There was some invisible gap between them, and it was Pepper's fault.

"I believe you. And you were never a full-blown psychopath. I forced you to act like one. You needed me, and I failed you. I know it might not be easy to rebuild that trust, but I want you to know that I'll never leave you again."

Her smile widened, became more genuine. "Dad said you were almost going to suit up."

"Well, you did the same for me, so…"

"Technically, I was just remotely piloting it, but… Okay, I'm not going to ruin the moment with my pedantry."

They both laughed, but then Pepper became serious. "I should've never blamed you for Ultron. _Neither _of you."

"You just didn't want us to get ourselves killed."

"It's not just that. I was too focused on staying in my comfort zone. When I came to New York after Sokovia, I'd built a wall around me, so that I wouldn't forgive Tony the moment I saw him. And it worked. But when you and I talked, your words came so close to breaking that wall. I left, because I felt threatened," she admitted. She was ashamed. What kind of parent would feel threatened by their kid?

"Yeah, that's not your fault. I'm good at telling people what they want to hear…" she said, but then she froze, as if she had an off button and someone had just pressed it.

"Ana? What is it?"

"I think I said that before," she mumbled in confusion. Pepper didn't even think she was fully in this room with her anymore.

"Said what?"

"What I just said to you. I don't know what's happening to me…"

In the past, this would be the part where Pepper pulled her into a comforting hug and told her it was okay. Right now, that invisible gap didn't let her. She felt like she had no right to do such a thing. So, she said she would go get Tony, and scurried out of the room. If anyone could help Ana, it was him.


	60. Chapter 60

Vision was missing. Again.

It was quite an irony that the only things Tony couldn't outsmart were his own creations. Vision's transponder was off, and Tony wasn't able to force it back on remotely. No doubt the android was with his girlfriend, and he didn't trust anyone with her location, not even with Tony, even though he knew Tony had basically let her and the others escape the Raft. He just hoped Vision wouldn't make a habit of this. If the world needed the Avengers, they should be able to reach him. They were already running short on staff. It appeared Vision had learned nothing from what had happened to Ana.

"So, was Vision dating Wanda?" Peter asked, as if he could read his thoughts, but Tony knew mind-reading wasn't one of his gifts.

"What makes you think that?" he asked coolly.

"I saw them… at the airport… after the fight. Come on, sir, it was pretty obvious!"

Tony smiled. He liked having the kid around. After the Accords, the Compound had become a sad place. Tony, Rhodey, and Vision were the only Avengers who lived here. The rest were gone, and he didn't think they would ever come back. Rogers, Romanoff, Wanda, and Wilson were still on the run. Barton had made a deal with the government; he was now under house arrest, but at least he was with his family. Tony had heard that there was a similar arrangement for Scott Lang as well. It eased his conscience a bit. It was never his intention to separate the two men from their families. Hank Pym and his daughter were also fugitives, but even though the accusations were unfair, considering they had never been directly involved, Tony didn't really feel bad about it. He was pretty sure Pym would have gladly sent Lang to kick Tony's ass if Lang had asked for permission before going to Germany. Pym hated the Starks with a passion, even though neither Tony nor Ana had done him anything.

Peter had refused to become an Avenger. He just wanted to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. But he had been caught in the suit by his aunt. Her terms were clear: Either Tony was going to give him an actual internship, or she was going to sue Tony for child-soldiering. So, Peter came here every Saturday, and worked as Tony's intern. No superhero business. Just lab work.

"They are dating, then!" Peter exclaimed, misinterpreting Tony's smile. "I knew it! But how's that possible? I mean, technically, Vision is a computer."

"Well, it happens."

"Yeah, but it's a bit weird… in a good way. Don't you agree, sir?"

"Kid, are you here for the science, or the gossip?" Tony scolded him, and regretted it immediately. The kid was sometimes too curious for his own good. But then, curiosity was the mark of a true genius.

"Peter, it is 6 PM," FRIDAY interrupted them. It was easy to lose track of time here in the lab, but Peter had a bus to catch, and FRIDAY knew that.

"You still don't have your license, right?" Tony asked as he saw him out.

"I'll get it this summer… I hope."

"Good. Let me know if you need help. Happy can give you a few lessons."

"Thank you, Mr. Stark! See you next week!" he said, hoisting his backpack on his shoulders, and ran out of the lab.

A few seconds later, Ana entered, which was a bit unexpected. She rarely got out of her room these days. He was mentally worn out after spending hours here with Peter, but he didn't care. If she wanted to join him in the lab, that was awesome progress. He would do anything Ana wanted.

"Hey, kid. What's up?"

"Dad, I might have an idea… to bring my memories back."

Right. Ana had thought of asking Vision to use the Mind Stone, but then decided against it, for they didn't know what was buried in her head. Whatever he found, Vision might share it with Wanda. Ana didn't want to take the risk. "What's the idea?"

"BARF."

Tony thought for a moment. Normally, BARF was to _repress_ memories by replacing them with more pleasant counterparts, but in order to do that, the original memories had to be recreated clearly enough to be manipulated. So, yeah, it could be used.

"It's worth a shot."

"Good. Let's do it."

"Now?"

"Yeah. Why wait? I mean, it can wait if you're tired or busy—"

"No, I'm good." He got on his feet, though a bit reluctantly. Dum-E and U had already begun setting up the equipment.

"Look, Dad, I know you're scared. I'm scared, too. That's why I waited until Peter left. Those memories might not exactly be PG-13."

That was what he feared. Maybe it wasn't someone, or something that had given her amnesia. Maybe it was just her own mind protecting itself. From something traumatic. It was a common phenomenon. And with fiery skull demons and other dimensions involved, some gory stuff was very likely to have occurred. But Ana wouldn't rest until she discovered the truth. If he were in her shoes, he wouldn't rest either.

* * *

Soon, they were ready to go. Or, at least, Ana was. She took her seat, and smiled at him. "Hey, whatever happened over there, I survived it," she reminded him. "Let's not forget that."

Tony tried to smile back. She was still much braver than he could ever be. "Okay, we'll start from the most recent memory, and go back from there… FRIDAY?"

"We're good to go, boss."

Ana placed the headset on her head. "Let's do this."

"Hey, if you change your mind, at any point, just say the word. You don't have to go through with any of… whatever is about to be revealed."

"I know, Dad. Thanks."

The blue pixels formed a hospital room. Ana was lying in an operation bed, and she could see her reflection on the small mirror that was placed above her face. There were two doctors standing beside her. They were wearing surgical masks, but one was clearly male, and the other female.

"She's going to fight it," the male doctor said. "Maybe we should try putting her under."

"No," the other one objected. "We've had resisting patients before. Coulson made it clear: Mr. Reyes wants her to forget everything that happened over there."

Ana wasn't even looking at them. She was looking at herself. Her gaze was fixated on the mirror. "Thanos… You must remember Thanos."

And then, the procedure started. A craniotomy saw started cutting her skull open, and a piercing scream filled the room. But she quickly returned to repeating the words: "Thanos… Remember Thanos. You must remember Thanos… Death is what gives life meaning."

As for Tony, his legs gave way and he fell down on his knees. He was too weak to do anything, even to turn BARF off. He wanted to throw up as he watched the skull cap get removed, and a machine come into view. It started poking Ana's brain with its many needles, at an unnatural speed. This wasn't a simulation, or a trick. This was a real memory. At some point in the past, she had been through this. She literally had. And Tony had had no idea until now.

The male doctor seemed a lot less comfortable with the ongoing operation than his colleague. "Look at her!" he was saying. "Every patient who's been on this table begged us to let them die! This one's begging herself to remember! It's not going to work."

"Then we'll keep going until we break her!"

The needles started moving even faster. Ana's determined gaze remained fixated on her reflection. "Thanos… Death is what gives life meaning."

"DAD, STOP IT!" the present Ana cried. "STOP IT, PLEASE! SHUT IT DOWN!"

Somehow, he found the strength to scramble back to his feet and go to press the turn off button. Then he went to remove the headset. Ana was shivering and screaming uncontrollably. He pulled her into a hug. It wasn't going to be enough, but he didn't know what else to do to comfort her.

"It's okay," he whispered, gently rocking her back and forth. "You're home, baby girl. You're safe."

"Dad, please don't put me back in there! I can't go through that again, please…"

Damn, how disoriented was she, to think that Tony would ever let her go through_ that_ again? He had barely been able to watch it. Even if she were willing to try again, Tony wouldn't let her. Ever."I won't," he promised. "I won't. Never."

After a few deep breaths, she calmed down a bit, even though she was still shaking.

"I felt it, Dad. I felt my skull being cut open! I felt those needles _on_ my brain!" She touched her head with both hands, as if she wanted to make sure it was still intact.

"I know, honey. But I'm going to make it right. I'm going to make this right, I promise."

"How?"

"Don't you trust me?"

There was a time Tony believed he would burn the world if anyone so much as laid a finger on Ana, or Pepper. But ever since New York, the universe hadn't stopped to remind him he was never as powerful as he thought he was. He knew he didn't deserve Ana's trust, but he was still asking for it, hoping he could be worthy of it for once.

"I do," she said. Of course, she said that. She always did.

He carried her to the medical bed in the corner, and went to get some sedatives. She was still shivering by the time he returned. But it was that blank look in her eyes that scared him the most. It was like she wasn't even here anymore.

"I'm going to sedate you now," he said. "Everything's going to be okay when you wake up."

"Dad?"

"Yes, baby girl?"

"I should've come home."

"You're home now. It's all that matters." He injected her with the sedative, which did its job quickly.

God, when he found Coulson, those doctors—"butchers" would actually be a more appropriate word to describe them—and whoever else was responsible for that shit, he was going to kill them. He wasn't interested in their side of the story, he didn't want to hear whatever bullshit excuse they had come up with to justify this.

But whatever it was they had made Ana forget, whatever the hell Thanos was, he was going to let it go, even though every fiber of his being told him not to. There was no way to elicit the truth without hurting Ana, and he couldn't do that to her, no matter what was at stake.

* * *

No matter how painful it was for him to work on it, he spent the following days recreating that memory for Ana. Now it would be as if she had begged the doctors to let her go and they had listened. Ana knew it wasn't the truth, but the brain itself cared more about how it made you feel than what the actual memory was. So, at least she had one less thing to be traumatized by.

Pepper knew the whole thing. They hadn't lied to her about it. She wanted to help, but she was hesitant to interact with Ana, and Ana was unresponsive to her attempts. It wasn't anybody's fault. They were trying, but they hadn't had the chance to sort this out in a safe and calm environment. Pepper had decided to focus on work until then, so that she wouldn't be distracted when they did. There was also the fact that the wedding preparations would soon begin. She was going to need lots of free time.

Tony was heading out to pick her up from the airport tonight. She was returning from a business trip to California, and he had already missed her. On his way out, he saw Ana alone in the communal kitchen, looking at the papers scattered on the coffee table. He knew what those papers were. Various reports on SHIELD, written by Air Force and all the intelligence agencies one could think of.

"Kid? What are you doing with those again?"

"I'll go over them with Vision. He promised to help."

He checked his watch. He actually didn't have to leave home for another 10 minutes. Funny how missing Pepper made him uncharacteristically punctual. Well, being punctual had its perks. A discussion with Ana about Coulson's team was long overdue.

"Kid," he started, joining her on the couch. "Reread those files all you want. There's not one single thing in them that can justify what's been done to you."

"I want to believe they had a good reason. I want to forgive them… Wow. I'm just like you right now, aren't I? I've become a doormat!" She laughed hysterically.

"Well, you did your best to make sure I wouldn't become one, so I guess it's time for me to return the favor."

"It didn't work, though. Not until Vienna."

"Do I have to go survive a bombing?" he joked.

"No, of course not," she gave in reluctantly. "I know I should listen to your advice… which is actually my own advice."

"Exactly."

"Still… I can't shake off this feeling that this would've never happened if I hadn't broken their trust with all those terrible things I did. That's particularly sad, because JARVIS would never want me to end up like this, especially for trying to avenge him."

"On that we agree."

Her shoulders drooped. "How can I stop feeling so empty, Dad? When JARVIS died, I kept myself busy with revenge. Then there was hope, with the Darkhold. Now, there's nothing. Just a void."

Yeah, he had figured aliens weren't the only reason Ana had wanted the book. He put one arm around her shoulders and smoothed her hair with the other hand. He was grateful to her, for her willingness to go on. He couldn't even imagine how painful life had to be for her, but she refused to give up because he needed her. He wanted to thank her a million times for that alone.

"Dad?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you angry with me?"

"No!"

"Not even about the Darkhold?"

"No," he repeated firmly.

"If I'd come to you about the book…"

"Would you stop me, if I lost Pepper?" he asked, knowing what her question was.

"No."

"Then you know the answer." The answer was, obviously, the fact that Ana would do anything to help him get the book, but she would also do anything to read it before he could, so that he wouldn't have to. Tony would do the same for her. Perhaps this was why the option of looking for the book wasn't even on the table. They both knew this was time to stick together, not to be busy outsmarting each other.

"I'm picking up Pepper from the airport. Come with me," he suggested to change the mood.

"I don't know, Dad… I love Pepper, but I feel so guilty every time I look at her. All those awful things I said..."

"She knows you didn't mean them. It was a self-defense mechanism. Your mind was trying to cope with two losses."

"Yeah, but I still said them."

"It will get better in time, I promise. But not if you keep avoiding her. Come on. Baby steps."

She looked at him, and then the reports on the table, indecisive. He got up on his feet, pulled her up, and gave him the best puppy eyes he could manage. "Please?"

"Okay," she relented, chuckling softly.

It didn't make a big difference, but it went well. He loved how Pepper's beautiful face lit up when she emerged from the jet and saw that Ana was waiting for her with him on the tarmac. Baby steps.


	61. Chapter 61

Ana knew the SHIELD doctors had messed with her brain. She just didn't remember it clearly. With BARF, the memory had been replaced with an alternate version in which she begged the doctors not to do it, and they listened to her. She remembered how the original one had freaked her out, but it didn't have the same impact anymore. It now felt so distant, like a memory from someone else's life. Her dad, as usual, had fixed her alright.

But now, there was one word that haunted them both: Thanos.

Was it the name of a place? A person? An object? They had tried to find answers, of course, but Coulson's team was still missing. The Starks had been keeping an eye on General Talbot, in case he learned something, but he had been shot in the head, and although he was going to live, he was never going to be the most reliable source of information.

Of course, the answer was in her head. She was a bit ashamed that she didn't have the guts to go through the process again to get it out. Her dad would do it for her, no matter how traumatizing it was. So, why couldn't she do it for him?

It was one of the times she woke up from a vague nightmare she couldn't describe. At least the sun was rising. Waking up in the middle of the night and trying to go back to sleep, only to fail, was worse. She walked around the Compound aimlessly for a while, too proud to admit she was expecting to see Vision. He had been gone for almost two weeks now. The distance, and his feelings for Wanda were better for Ana's mental health. They helped her remember he wasn't JARVIS. But he was also her only connection to whatever was left of him.

Finally, she found herself in the communal kitchen and decided to make coffee. The whole facility was so quiet, like it was abandoned. It made her feel guilty. Not that she wanted to live under the same roof with the Avengers, but still… It felt wrong, like she was an intruder who had kicked out the rightful owners. She was the one who didn't belong here. She was no Avenger.

"You're up early," her dad said, coming down the stairs.

"So are you. Got any plans for today?" Recently, he and Pepper had been quite busy. If their engagement had taught Ana anything, it was the fact that wedding-planning was a pain in the ass. She was glad that she would never have to plan one for herself. Even if JARVIS were alive, even if they weren't philosophically against the concept of marriage, they would probably just elope and get it over with.

"Yeah, Pepper and I are going for a jog at Central Park. Happy's going to drive. Want to come?"

"_Drive_ to Central Park, for _jogging_? Why don't you guys just use the exercise room downstairs?"

"Because that's what we always do, and we want to do something different this morning."

"Have fun, then."

He studied her from head to toe. "Is it just me, or have you gained a few pounds? I think you should come, too."

Ana chuckled. She had been underweight by the time she had returned from that other dimension, so if she had gained a few pounds, that was a good thing. Besides, it was probably muscle weight. She and her dad had been training extra hard lately, to be ready for whatever was to come. Even Pepper didn't judge them too harshly anymore. There was something ominous about the T-word.

The truth was, not everything was well between Ana and Pepper. They both wanted it to be, but it wasn't easy. It wasn't even entirely up to them. They had broken each other's trust, and such wounds took time to heal. There was a distance between them now, an invisible gap that wasn't supposed to be there. They were more… formal with each other, like Pepper wasn't someone Ana had known for years, but a random stranger her dad had introduced to her as his fiancée, and they were trying too hard to get along for his sake. Forgiveness took time. Ana and her dad were always able to forgive each other instantly, no matter what, but they were the exception to the rule.

"Dad, what are you really up to?"

"You'll see," he said mischievously.

Clearly, he had something particular in mind, so she decided not to ruin it. "Okay, let me just go get ready."

She went up to her room, put on exercise clothes. They had been busy in the workshop as well. Even their outfits were designed to be compatible with the suits now. You could never be too careful if you knew you could accidentally get sucked into other dimensions, or your so-called friends might decide to give you a lobotomy for some unknown reason.

* * *

To prevent any awkward silences during the jog, her dad was talking a lot, almost non-stop, even for his usual self. He was trying so hard to make things the way they used to be that it was heartbreaking.

It looked like even Pepper was struggling to keep up with him this morning. "Honey, you're totally rambling, you lost me."

"Look, you know how you have a dream, and in your dream, you gotta pee…"

"Yeah?"

"And then you're like, oh my God, there's no bathroom, what I'm going to do, someone's watching…"

"And then you wake up, and in real life, you actually have to pee," Pepper said. Ana was still trying to remember how exactly they had ended up discussing pee dreams.

"Yes! Okay."

"Yeah, everybody has that."

"Right! That's the point I'm trying to make. I propose that last night, I dreamt we had a kid. It was so real. We named him after your eccentric uncle… What was his name, Morgan?"

Ana's heart skipped a beat. Was that why they were here? To announce Pepper's pregnancy? "Wait… Are you guys trying to tell me—"

"Oh, no," Pepper said quickly. "We're not."

Ana was surprised by her own disappointment. Even the possibility of a baby brother or sister had been enough to make her realize how much she wanted it. But then, it wasn't something she could force either. It was their choice to make, not hers. Especially Pepper's, considering she was the one who had to carry a baby inside her for 9 months.

"Please?" her dad asked. "Maybe?"

Obviously, their choice hadn't been made yet.

"We don't even have a wedding date yet," Pepper reminded, which was true.

"You said August 27…"

"That's the decoy date!"

"So, we have to get married before that day, which reminds me… Didn't you have something to ask Ana?"

There was a look of betrayal on Pepper's face. "I thought _you_ were going to ask her!"

"Yeah, but it's something that concerns _you_. She's going to be _your_… Ask her now, she's right here." He took a step backward, so that the two women were now directly facing each other.

"Okay, Pepper, whatever this is, I'm sure it's okay. Just tell me. I want to help any way I can."

Pepper shifted on her feet nervously before starting. "Ana, look… I know you don't care much for tradition, so you don't have to say yes. I won't take it personal. I don't want to make you do anything you're not comfortable with. But… I'd very much like you to be my maid of honor."

Ana gaped at her. Right, the maid of honor, that was a thing. _This _was all the fuss was about. "Is that it?"

"Yes," she said in a small voice, and Ana felt a bit ashamed. It meant a lot for Pepper. And judging by the look on his face, for her father, too.

"Yeah, sure, I'd love that. What _I_ think about weddings is irrelevant. This is going to be_ your_ day."

Pepper sighed in relief, her dad looked like a kid on Christmas. He turned to Happy, who was busy chasing the paparazzi away, and gave him a thumbs-up. Happy pumped his fist in triumph.

"Thank you," Pepper said, nearly crying, and flung her arms around Ana's neck. It felt nice. Really nice.

"Yeah, no problem." Ana didn't know what else to say. "I'm sure it's going to be fun."

"Is this a group hug? Can I join?" her dad asked, and hugged them without even waiting for a reply.

"Dad, we look weird. The paparazzi…"

"I don't care. I love you girls so much."

"We love you, too," Pepper said. "But I wish you'd given me a heads-up."

"Well, it turned out okay, no? You know what, we should celebrate this. Let's call the restaurant and make that a table for three."

"Dad, don't cancel your date because of me… We can celebrate some other time."

Pepper shook her head. "No way. Tony's right, we—"

There was a whooshing sound, and someone asked, "Tony Stark?"

_What the hell?_ He released them. There was this weird looking guy standing in front of a sparkling portal.

"I'm Doctor Stephen Strange, I need you to come with me… Oh, congratulations on the wedding, by the way."

Her dad gave Ana a questioning look, but she shrugged. She had no idea what was going on. He turned to the doctor again. "I'm sorry, you giving out tickets or something?"

"We need your help. Look, it's not overselling to say that the fate of the universe is at stake here."

"And who's 'we'?"

Someone stepped out of the portal. Bruce. "Hey, Tony."

"Bruce?"

"Pepper, Ana…" He came to hug them.

"Are you okay?"

Indeed, something seemed very, very wrong with him. And Bruce didn't easily get startled. He must have been through some serious shit. "Where have you been? We thought you were dead!"

"Sakaar," he said. "It's a crazy planet, it's—"

"You were with Sigyn?" Ana cried.

"Yeah, she was there, too. Then Thor and Loki came, we escaped. We went to Asgard to fight their sister, Hela. But she got her powers from Asgard itself, so we had to destroy the entire planet. It's… gone now."

"Asgard is gone? Just like that?"

He nodded. "We were on our way to Earth when Thanos attacked. He killed half of the people on the ship. The other half escaped with Brunnhilde, but… He beat the shit out of the Other Guy. He adopted Sigyn, made her kill Loki. He killed everyone else, and then…" He paused when he noticed the look on their faces. "What? You guys know him?"

"I don't know," Ana whispered, and felt her dad's hands clasping her shoulders.

"W—what do you mean, you don't know? Ana, I'm pretty sure you'd remember someone like Thanos."

"How much does _that guy_ know?" her dad whispered.

Bruce shrugged. "He seems to know what he's doing. Heimdall must have sent me to him for a reason."

Happy joined them. "Hey, what's going on here?"

"We now know who Thanos is," Pepper said. "I'm starting to wish we didn't…"

Her dad nodded. "Happy, take Pepper home. Not to the Compound, though. It might not be safe today. Take her to the residence here in Manhattan."

"Got it, boss."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" Pepper asked.

"We got this," Ana said bravely.

Before she followed Happy, she gave them the _"Take care of each other,"_ look.

"Kid, come on." Her dad was trying to lead Ana to the portal, but something was tangling around her legs. At least that was how she felt. "Hey, this is a good thing," he told her. "This means we'll no longer be in the dark."

_No, this is a bad thing. This is a horrible thing, and we both know it._ Leaning on him for support, she managed to cross the portal.

"Where are we?" was the first thing her dad asked. They were in some kind of… parlor. He made Ana sit on a couch.

"Still in New York," Strange replied. "Bleecker Street, to be specific. This is the New York Sanctum."

_Bleecker Street. New York Sanctum._ Why did these words sound so familiar?

"Can we get a glass of water?" her dad asked.

"Of course." Strange_ conjured_ a glass of water and handed it to him.

"Looks like we've got a Hogwarts right under our noses," he joked, probably to cheer her up. "Or, there was a different school for Americans, right? Drink this… What was its name?"

She took the glass from him, and sipped the water, even though she craved something stronger. "Ilvermorny."

"Yeah, that's the one."

"You know Thanos," Strange observed.

Ana decided to tell him, and be quick about it. "I worked with SHIELD for a time. There were a bunch of scientists using the Darkhold. It's a—"

"I know what the Darkhold is," he said grimly.

Ana was glad that she didn't have to explain. "Anyway, there was an accident. Some of us got stuck between two dimensions. And I… I was pulled in completely. I don't know what happened there, or how I got out. SHIELD erased my memories. All I know is, I was telling myself to remember Thanos during the procedure."

"You escaped Hell," Strange said, again grimly, like it was both a remarkable and disturbing accomplishment.

"Hell?"

"It's the dimension the demon that roams our world in Robbie Reyes' body originates from."

"You know Robbie?"

"Only by reputation."

Ana came up with an idea. "Can _you_ restore my memories?"

"No. I'm sure they had a good reason not to trust you."

Ana put the glass on a coffee table, and looked at him incredulously. "What do you even know about me?"

"Well, for starters, I know you created another Hulk."

"You did WHAT?" Bruce cried. It was a miracle he hadn't turned green already. But beside her, her dad had tensed up. No doubt he was seriously considering calling Veronica.

"Okay, why don't we just keep the focus on Thanos?" he asked. "What's his game? What does he want?"

"The Infinity Stones," Bruce said. "He already had the Power Stone when he found us, he—"

"He came for the Tesseract," Ana realized in horror.

"You know about the stones, too?"

"We know it's what the Tesseract and the Scepter had in common. That's all."

"There are six of them," another guy broke in.

"Everyone, this is Wong," Strange introduced him.

Wong continued casting some kind of spell to demonstrate the stones, "At the dawn of the universe, there was nothing. Then, boom! The Big Bang sent six elemental crystals hurtling across the virgin universe. These Infinity Stones, each control an essential aspect of existence."

Strange took over from there. "Space, Reality, Power, Soul, Mind... and Time."

He revealed the Time Stone he was carrying on himself. So, there were two stones on Earth… Lovely.

"Thanos is a plague, Tony," Bruce said. "He invades planets, he takes what he wants, he wipes out half the population… He sent Loki. The attack, on New York, that was him!"

"What about Sigyn? What does he want from her? Why didn't he kill her, or let her escape with the others?"

"I—I don't know… He said she was unique."

"Lady Sigyn is one of the finest practitioners of magic in the universe," the wizard said. "No wonder Thanos wanted her by his side."

"Sounds like someone has a crush," her dad teased.

Strange rolled his eyes. "It's called professional respect. You should try it sometime."

Ana tugged at her dad's arm to remind him to focus on what really mattered. This was the moment everything they had been dreading since New York came true. This was like being John and Sarah Connor and realizing you were caught totally unprepared for Judgment Day.

"It's too late, Dad," she said, in a voice only he could hear. "We couldn't do shit, and now he's here. It's too late."

"No, it's not. Come on, let's walk around a bit." He helped her stand up, and they started pacing around the room. It probably helped him think, but Ana was just sick to the stomach. She couldn't find even the slightest bit of strength in her to keep fighting.

He asked the others, "What's our timeline?"

"No telling. He already has the Power and the Space stones, that already makes him the strongest creature in the whole universe. If he gets his hands on all six stones, Tony…"

"He can destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of."

He leaned on a cauldron and stretched his legs, as if he hadn't heard any of the things Bruce and Strange had just said. But Ana knew he had. He was just restless. She hugged herself.

"Did you just seriously say 'hitherto undreamt of'?"

"Are you seriously leaning on the Cauldron of Cosmos?"

Strange slapped him, or rather, his cloak did. Her dad looked at him in disbelief. It was a rare thing for his ego to be challenged like this.

"I'm going to allow that."

The wizard didn't bother to respond, so he continued. "If Thanos needs all six, why don't we just stick this one down the garbage disposal?"

"No can do."

"What about the Power Stone?" it suddenly occurred to her to ask Bruce while her dad and Strange discussed their options. "Where did he take that from?"

Bruce thought for a moment, then said, "Xandar, I think. They said he decimated Xandar after getting the stone. I don't know what that place is, though."

"I do." Xandar was a formidable civilization. They had been at war with the Kree, and won, for goodness' sake! Now, they had been defeated by Thanos. This gave her a rough idea about Thanos' powers. Then her attention shifted back to the Time Stone.

_It's the only way_, Ana realized as the men discussed sworn oaths and ice-cream flavors. No matter what they did, no matter how civilized and heroic they pretended to be, it would eventually come down to making a choice between the Time and Mind Stones… Meaning, unless these wizards agreed to make a compromise, Vision would have to die, along with whatever was left of JARVIS…

_No! _Before she knew it, she found herself grasping at the necklace. But the moment she touched it, some glowing patterns appeared around it, and a shock of searing pain seized her. It was like someone was both burning her alive and dipping her into a tank of acid at the same time, if such a thing was possible. Still, it was the only way to protect JARVIS, so she refused to let go. She pulled harder.

Strange wasn't shocked by the attack. Only annoyed. He just stood there calmly, but her stubbornness made him cock an eyebrow. "And you wonder why I don't trust you…"

"I don't need your trust. Just the stone."

"You can't steal it. Let go. You're suffering for nothing."

"NO!"

"Ana!" Her dad finally tore her away.

Ana sat down on the trashed stairs that proved the story of Bruce's return to the Earth true, nursing her burnt hand. Her dad came to join.

"Let me see that."

She let him take a look. It was bad, but at least now her hand was the only part that was in pain.

"What did you do?" he asked Strange angrily. He wasn't just messing around anymore.

"I didn't do anything. She did it to herself. There are consequences of attempting to steal from a Master of the Mystic Arts."

"Fix it!"

"No."

"I thought you were a doctor?"

He sighed, and conjured something again. Nothing too magical, just a tube of aloe vera gel. He tossed it at her dad. He didn't seem satisfied, but he didn't complain either. Just started applying to gel on the swollen, wrinkled, bright red skin. He was being very gentle, but it still hurt.

"I can't lose JARVIS again," she explained apologetically. It couldn't have been easy, watching your daughter do this to herself.

"I know, honey," he said, not looking up from her hand, but his voice was full of sympathy.

Ana felt like she was going to lose it at any moment know. Years of planning, scheming, experimenting, training, and sacrificing had been for nothing. The more she thought about it, the more maddening it became. But then, there might be a solution in her head. One great thing about the human brain: Memories could never be truly erased. They could only be repressed.

"Dad, please. You have to convince the wizard to help me remember," she begged, because her manipulation skills obviously didn't work on that guy. Her dad was better at dealing with him.

Finally, he put the tube aside, and looked at her. "Ana, you know what happened the last time you tried to remember."

"I don't care how traumatizing it will be! Strange says I've been to Hell, and I must have learned something about Thanos there! It might be the only way…"

"No," Strange himself said firmly. "You've given me no reason to trust you."

She turned to her dad again, but he either didn't know how to change the wizard's mind, or was unwilling to do it.

"Death is what gives life meaning," she blurted out. She wasn't sure why, but it had suddenly felt like the right thing to say.

Strange and Wong swapped glances, and then they both looked at Ana, like she was the most important person in the world. Strange seemed particularly haunted. "Why did you say that?"

"I don't know. It was one of the things I was telling myself while they were erasing my memories."

"We _have to_ get those memories back."

"Oh, now he wants to help," her dad scoffed.

"It's a message, from my predecessor, the Ancient One. If she trusted Ana, I'll do the same."

"Is there a way to restore her memories without hurting her? Because I'm not letting her go through that shit again."

"Wanda Maximoff can probably do it. Or, I can, with the Mind Stone. If you remove it from Vision…"

Great, now she was at Maximoff's mercy…

"Tony, where's Vision?" Bruce asked.

He got back to stand on his feet and started pacing around again. "Yeah, that's the thing…"

"What do you mean?"

"Two weeks ago, Vision turned off his transponder. He's offline."

"What? Tony, you lost another super bot?"

"I didn't _lose_ him, he's more than that. He's evolving."

"Who could find Vision, then?" Strange asked.

"Probably Steve Rogers… Maybe. But…"

"Call him," Bruce said, having no idea what had happened in his absence.

"It's not that easy. God, we haven't caught up in a spell, have we?"

"No."

"The Avengers broke up. We're toast."

"Broke up? Like a band, like the Beatles?"

"Captain and I fell out hard. We're not on speaking terms."

Bruce looked at Ana. "Is this still about JARVIS' death?"

She nodded. "Among other things…"

"Tony, Ana, listen to me. Thor is gone. I'm sorry about JARVIS, but Thanos is coming, and it doesn't matter who you're talking to or not."

"He's right, Dad. Please. If you don't want to talk to Rogers, it's fine! I'll suck it up and talk to him myself. Just give me the phone." She knew he had it on him. He always did.

"No. I'll do it." He had made up his mind. He was going to call him. He pulled the phone Rogers had sent out of his pocket. "Flip phone… Pfft."

He was about to make the call when Ana felt an unusual air current in the parlor. He must have felt it, too, because he paused, and looked around. She shivered. Maybe there wasn't enough time to even make the call.


	62. Chapter 62

"Say, Doc, you wouldn't happen to be moving your hair, would you?"

"Not at the moment, no."

There was now also a distant humming of a machine, in addition to muffled screams. The people outside were running… from something.

Her dad was the first to get out. They all went after him. It was chaotic out here. People were in panic, the wind was blowing everything around like leaves. Pamphlets, newspapers, banners… It was hard to walk against it, but it wasn't impossible either. Ana squinted her eyes and shielded her face with her right arm. At least, combined with the aloe vera, the air felt soothing on her left palm, though dust was getting stuck on it. So, she put it in her pocket. The last thing she wanted in this mess was to get infected. Her head was swimming with panic.

Her dad had put on his glasses. With a few long strides, she caught up with him. "What's going on?"

"No idea."

When they turned the corner, they found themselves looking at a giant spaceship.

"FRIDAY, evac anyone south of 43rd Street, notify first responders."

"Will do."

Strange did something with his hands, and the wind just… stopped. Well, at least now there was one less thing to deal with.

A beam of blue light descended from the ship above, brought two aliens. One was huge, and looked like he was made of stones. The other looked like the long-lost kid of Voldemort and Squidward. Ana didn't know how else she could describe him.

"Hear me, and rejoice," he said. "You're about the die at the hands of the children of Thanos…"

_Children of Thanos._ Ana turned to Bruce and whispered, "You said Sigyn was adopted by Thanos. Is she like… those two now?"

Bruce swallowed thickly. "It's more complicated than that, Ana. Thanos made her choose between Loki and her sister. If she had refused, he would've killed them both. She had a chance to save Sif, so she took it."

Damn, that must have been rough. Ana tried to imagine what she would do if she had a sister and she had to make a choice between her and JARVIS, and decided she would rather kill herself than choose.

"I'm sorry, Earth is closed today!" her dad was saying. "You better pack up, and get out of here."

"Stonekeeper… Does this chattering animal speak for you?"

"Certainly not, I speak for myself." Strange conjured two shields, which, again, evoked a sense of familiarity in Ana. Wong did the same. "You're trespassing in this city, and on this planet."

"It means get lost, Squidward!"

The big one was now coming for them.

"Banner, you want a piece?"

"Uhm, no not really, but when do I get what I want?"

"Can't you two just… Avada Kedavra those things?" Ana asked Strange.

"Make another Harry Potter reference, and I'm going to seal your mouth shut", he threatened.

"For the record, your wizarding school sucks." Ana almost wished Daisy and Jemma were here, so that they could annoy the shit out of Strange together with endless references. Then she remembered that they weren't her friends anymore. It hurt. For a time, they had made her understand why her dad loved being a part of a team.

Bruce was trying to unleash the Hulk, but for some reason, it was taking longer than usual.

"Where's your guy?" her dad asked.

"I don't know, we're certainly having a thing!"

"There's no time for a thing. That's the thing right there, let's go."

He groaned, and his skin partially turned to green, but that was all. The other two men seemed disappointed.

"Dude, you're embarrassing me in front of the wizards."

"I'm sorry… I—I can't… He won't."

"It's okay, it's fine. Just stand down… Ana, keep an eye on him, will you?"

"Sure."

He stepped forward, and activated the suit. _Here we go, _Ana thought, as the nanites spread across his body. Mark L was designed for otherworldly threats. For _this_. Ana didn't know if she had used her own suit—hers was modified for better stealth, as usual—in Hell. Even if she had, she didn't remember any of it. But it was the most advanced weapon they had against Thanos now. If only she could believe it was enough. If only she could believe they stood a chance.

_One problem at a time._ She activated her own suit.

"Wow," Bruce gasped, as they watched her dad fight the alien monster. "How long have you guys been working on that?"

"Since Wakanda decided to share their tech," Ana replied.

"What?"

"Long story."

In the meantime, her dad had used the cluster cannons to hurl the big alien back at his brother. The other one was almost going to go down with him, but he changed his brother's direction at the last moment.

Her dad turned to them. "It's nanotech, you like it? A little something—"

The noseless one had ripped the floor beneath his feet up, and sent him flying into the sky. And now he was hurtling trees at the rest of them. She couldn't believe she had to do such a thing, but she pushed Bruce to stand behind her. Wong's shield had widened to protect them from the attack, but Ana had a feeling that Squidward was just getting warmed up.

"Dr. Banner," Strange said. "If the rest of your green friend won't be joining us…" He opened a portal and Bruce fell through it.

And now, a car was coming at them. Strange conjured his shields again, but her dad was returning. Ana decided to help when she realized he had a better idea. Using their repulsors, they sent the car right back at the freak. But he cut it in half.

"Ana, remember our emergency protocol?"

"Got it, Dad," she said, and took to the sky.

Of course, these alien attacks required improvisation, but they had a general strategy planned out. Ana's role was clear: Go high. Go invisible. Be the element of surprise.

Once she was sure she was out of sight, she activated the cloaking mode. "Okay, Dad, I'm all set. Where do you need me?"

"Why don't you start by— Ugh!"

She saw him get hit by the big one's chain hammer. "DAD?"

He groaned. "Change of plans. I could really use your help with this guy."

FRIDAY was already taking her to him. Ana could hear Bruce's voice in the background. Still no Hulk. She found them in the park. Her dad was fighting the creature, but he must have a really thick skin, because every blast, beam, and missile was just bouncing off of it. Bruce was there, under a fallen tree, and… slapping himself? Whatever. Ana looked for a weak spot, and decided to go for the back of his neck. It seemed like the most exposed area. She hovered above that part, got as close as she could, closed her fists, formed two long, sharp blades with the nanites, dug them into the skin, and electrocuted the bastard. He stopped to howl in pain.

FRIDAY was X-raying him, to see if there is something that resembled a vital organ she could reach and kill him in an instant. No luck so far. The damn beast indeed might be made of stone except for his eyes. Maybe she could try blinding him, but not from here…

Her dad had ceased attacking. "Ana, is this you?"

"Yep."

"Good job, now deactivate the stealth mode."

"Why?"

"Because even I can't see you when you're cloaked!"

That was in case someone stole his suit and tried to use it against her. Being prepared for any scenario was another part of their strategy.

"Yeah, I'm _that_ good," she boasted. Seeing that she was capable of harming these freaks gave her an almost sadistic joy.

"Ana, this is not the time to be a smartass. What if I hit you by accident?"

"Alright, alright… FRIDAY?"

FRIDAY deactivated the stealth mode, and her dad continued shooting at him. The brute was now shaking his head wildly. Ana was still trying to fry him, but with one giant hand, he grabbed her, pulled her out, and sent her flying off, like she was nothing but an annoying mosquito. After a somersault, she managed to come to a halt before she hit anyone or anything. On her way back, she heard Peter's voice through the comm. "Hey, man… What's up, Mr. Stark?"

Damn… Should they be bringing a 15-year-old into this? But then, they couldn't exactly afford to be picky today.

By the time she was back at the park, Peter was being tossed around like Ana had just been. She managed to grab him before he plummeted into the ground. "I got you, kid!"

"Oh, thanks, Ana! Hi, by the way… So, what's this guy's problem?"

"Uhm, he's from space, he came here to steal a necklace from the wizard," her dad said. That was one way to explain the situation.

"Oh, and he has a brother who can probably cut you in half with a flick of his hand, so if you see a creepy noseless guy, _stay away_!" Ana added.

"How do you know they're brothers?" her dad asked.

"Well, if they're both Thanos' kids… Seriously, Dad, how are we going to kill this thing?" Peter had just hit him with a car. It had done nothing. Every bullet or missile they shot at him was just a waste of nanites.

A red blur flew past them. "Kid, that's the wizard, get on it!"

"On it!"

Again, Ana didn't think they should send Peter to take on the other one on his own, but maybe he could just grab Strange and take him to safety. Which reminded her… "Peter, whatever you do, don't touch the necklace yourself! It's like… cursed or something. It burns you."

"Oh, okay, good to know."

"Ana," FRIDAY said, "You've just received an e-mail."

"Seriously, FRIDAY? _Now_?" The brute wasn't giving them a break, and FRIDAY was worried about unread e-mails?

"It's from Daisy Johnson."

_Shit._ This wasn't the best time to think about her back-stabbing ex-BFF, but… Curiosity killed the cat. "Show me."

The e-mail appeared on the HUD. There were coordinates, and a note: _"We need to talk.—Daisy"_

"What does Daisy want?" her dad asked.

"To talk, probably about Thanos."

"Is Quake joining us?" Peter squealed excitedly.

"Gosh, I hope not," Ana muttered. The kid didn't know about TAHITI.

"Yeah, her timing is just… perfect," her dad sneered.

"Dad, we must be all over the news by now… She wants to meet, somewhere in the Appala—" The creature had caught her off-guard, slapped her with the back of his hand, and she was thrown into the pool nearby. She had hit her head pretty hard, though. It took a moment for her to recover. By the time she looked up, her dad was trapped by the hammer, and the brute was charging at him with a big-ass sword.

"Shit!"

But Wong got to them first, and sent the alien through a portal. By the time Ana made it there, all that was left of him was a severed hand. Bruce kicked it away with disgust.

"Wong, you're invited to my wedding!" her dad said, and took off. He was going after the spaceship. Without even thinking about it, Ana followed him.

"Dad, what's going on?"

"The kid's in trouble."

Yeah, she vaguely remembered Peter asking for help while she was catching her breath.

"Ana, honey, listen… Maybe you should—"

"Save your breath, Dad." She knew what he was going to say.

She heard him sigh. "In that case… Give us a little juice, FRIDAY!"

FRIDAY activated the foot thrusters.

"Unlock 17: A."

That was Peter's newest suit. Yes, this was really the day they would use every trick up their sleeves. Down there, fighting an alien monster, the adrenaline rush had kept the thought at bay for a while, but now, while chasing a spaceship, it was all flooding back into her.

"Pete, you gotta let go, I'm going to catch you."

"But you said save the wizard… I can't breathe."

"You're too high up, you're running out of air."

"That makes sense…"

"Kid, seriously!" Ana broke in. "We'll take it from here."

There was no reply. She saw him fall, but the Iron Spider armor reached him just in time, much to her relief. "Mr. Stark, it smells like a new car here!"

"Happy trails, kid! FRIDAY, send him home."

"Yep."

"Oh, come on!"

At least a dead teenager wouldn't be on their long list of regrets. They attached themselves onto the side of the ship, and cut a hole to enter.

"Boss, incoming call from Ms. Potts," FRIDAY said as they stepped inside. Ana started sealing the hole. She was getting the same call.

"Tony? Ana? Oh my God, are you alright? What's going on?"

"Yeah, we're fine. I just think I'm going to have to push our 8.30 res…"

"Why?"

"Just because… I'll probably not make it back for a while."

"Tell me you're not on that ship."

"Yeah."

"God, tell me, please, you're not on the ship…"

"Honey, I'm sorry." This was torture for him, she could see it on his face. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to say—"

"Come back! Come back here, or—"

"Pepper, it's okay," Ana broke in. "I'll bring him back to you safely, I promise."

"You're taking Ana with you?" Pepper shrieked. "Hasn't she been through enough? What kind of father are you, Tony? Come back here, right now, I swear—"

"Boss, we're losing her. I'm going to—"

There was static at first, and then, not even that. Nothing. The two geniuses looked at each other. Ana wished Pepper hadn't asked that last question.

"She didn't mean it," she said quickly, taking his hand. "Pepper is smart, and she… No doubt she wants what's best for us, but _this_ is not something she can fully understand."

"She's right, though. _You_ shouldn't be here."

"Then why aren't you sending me back, too?" He could if he wanted to.

"I don't want something like that to be your last memory of me."

"I'm right where I want to be," she said. This was his worst nightmare, too. She had to be strong for him.

"Really? Because I'm not," he half-quipped. "I'd rather be back in Malibu right now."

Thinking of Malibu made her smile. "Dad, everything bad that's been happening since New York has been happening because of Thanos! I _have to_ look this guy in the eye! I know what you're doing. You want to take the fight to him. After everything we've been through, do I deserve to be left out now?"

"No! No, of course not. It's just… If I can't protect you…" His face looked las if Thanos was already here and torturing him.

"We've been preparing for this. I know we should've done more, but maybe, just maybe, it's enough. And if it's not… Just know that in the end, I'll still be grateful for everything."

"Come here." He pulled her into a hug. They had their armors on, but it still felt nice. He pressed a kiss on her temple then rested his forehead on it. They both knew which scenario was more likely. It wasn't going to be enough. In a very near future, they were going to die. There was going to be no family dinner, no wedding, no Morgan.

* * *

The ship was huge, but there wasn't much to be seen. There wasn't a crew or anything, which was good for the father and the daughter, who had been exploring it for the past five minutes. And the alien Squidward hadn't even hesitated to leave his "brother" behind, so maybe they weren't much of a family, after all. He was now nowhere to be seen, though. Strange was on the lower deck, floating mid-air, still unconscious. They didn't dare go down there, lest the alien returned. But they managed to find another control panel up here.

"This ship seems to be on auto-pilot," he said under his breath. "Do you think these can be coordinates?"

She didn't know why, but she took a few pictures of those symbols. She had taken a few pictures of the ship, too. Maybe someday, someone would find them. She felt like their story deserved to be told. "I should've designed a universal translator of my own…"

"Why didn't you?"

"Because linguistics is not my strong suit, and it's not fun to re-invent something. Universal translators are pretty common among aliens."

"You know what I'm thinking?"

"What?"

"If you took these symbols to someone who could read them…"

"Dad, I thought we were past that! There's no reason for me to leave you now!"

"Yes, there is! There's… a million reasons, you just don't want to see them! What if Thanos decides to play it dirty? What if he threatens me with you? He doesn't even have to do a thing. The moment he gets his hands on you, I'm his bitch!"

"You're saying I'm a weakness…"

"Honey, you _got _to go back. This is a one-way ticket. You know it is."

"I do. That's exactly why I'm coming with you."

"No, Ana, look…" He pointed at the screen. "These must be the coordinates of the ship's destination. Once this is over, once Thanos is dealt with, you can come find me."

"I've never done anything like that before!" In theory, she could open a portal to anywhere, but this wasn't a good time to put that theory to test.

"If there's anyone who can tear a hole in the universe for me, it's you. Plus, my suit has a tracker. All you have to is to pin down the right planet, then you can track my signal."

"No, Dad. I'm coming with you. Once we take care of Thanos, we can find a way to return home."

"And what if we can't? What if there is no way?"

"Then I'll be very glad that we're together."

"Ana, you're not thinking logically. If you don't leave now, we're both going to die stranded in another galaxy, light years away from Earth. The truth is, I don't want to die. But more importantly, I don't want you to die. I can't watch you die, Ana. Don't do this to me. Go back to Earth now."

She started crying. "Dad, I can't!"

"Come on, kid. Do the math yourself… Where's that Ice Princess when I need her?"

She was still crying, but she chuckled through the tears. "I just don't want you to be alone…"

"Uhm, he won't exactly be alone…" They both jumped when they heard Peter's voice.

Her dad was horrified. "Oh, God, this is a nightmare…"

"Peter?" Ana exclaimed. This was a nightmare, indeed. This was why she didn't like kids. They just couldn't be reasoned with.

"You should not be here!" he hissed at the teenager.

"I know what you're going to say, and I was going home, but I just stuck to the side of the ship. This suit is ridiculously intuitive, by the way. So, if anything, it's kind of your fault that I'm here." He paused, then added quickly, "I shouldn't have said that. I…"

Her dad turned to Ana again. "See? Now the kid's counting on you, too."

"Then send _him_ back. He's younger."

"Honey, I'm not asking you to return only because you need to bring us home. It's also because we both know the key to stopping Thanos is in your head. I wish I could give you your memories back, Ana, but I can't. There's only one person who can."

The suggestion angered her. "I don't need help from the Maximoff bitch…"

"Look, I don't like her either, but you have to. Vision has the Mind Stone. You have to warn the team, and find out what it was that Reyes wanted you to forget so badly. Then you have to warn SHIELD as well. We're going to need all the help we can get."

"Really, Dad? Do you really want me to go to the people who cut my skull open and messed with my brain? Not to mention that one of those people was supposed to be my best friend?"

"Does SHIELD do that?" Peter gasped.

"Yeah, it's called the TAHITI Protocol," Ana explained.

"Ana, come on," her father urged her. "This ship is moving too fast; this is your last chance. If you don't leave now, don't bother."

He was right. If she lingered, she was going to have to resort to teleportation, which would consume 85% of the Arc Reactor's power.

Should she go back? What if they had a chance to win, but they lost it just because Ana was a coward?

"Fine!" she gave in, and hugged him one last time. "I'll come back for you." _With something that can kill Thanos, hopefully._

He kissed the top of her head. For a second there, she thought he wouldn't release her, but he did. "I know you will. Now, go."

This was harder than fighting aliens, for both of them. She looked at Peter. "Take good care of him."

The boy nodded firmly, obviously flattered by Ana's faith in him. She waited until they held onto something, then opened another hole and was sucked out into space immediately. She didn't look back.

* * *

It was a smooth ride back to Earth. The suit had found a Jump Point—Sigyn might have been enslaved by Thanos, but her teachings still came in handy—and she was back home. She directly headed for the Compound. And as soon as FRIDAY was online, she uploaded the pictures, and told her to start deciphering the symbols. Ana might not have a fully-functional universal translator, but she had uploaded several alien numeric systems into FRIDAY's database. Numbers were easier to convert. She also took a look at the news. The whole world thought the Starks were missing.

She went to the meeting room, because FRIDAY had said the entire gang was there, except for Barton. The moment he saw Ana, Rhodey ran up to her. "Sweetie, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

After this reassurance, everyone turned to Rogers expectantly. Her fate depended on his reaction, it appeared.

"Hello, Ana," he started calmly. "It's good to see you're safe. I'm sorry about Tony."

"And I'm sorry about stabbing you, but my dad is okay. He's going to take the fight to Thanos. The kid and the wizard are with him. And I have the coordinates of their destination."

He raised his eyebrows questioningly. "I know you can teleport, but... Can you go to him, just like that?"

She nodded. More relieved sighs were heard than she had expected to hear.

"He sent me back because I might know how to stop Thanos," she went on.

Rhodey nodded. "Yeah, that's what Banner just told us."

"Now, SHIELD wants to talk as well. But I don't know how much of the truth they'll tell me. They've betrayed me once, I can't trust them again. I can't go to them without having the whole picture." She paused. Sure, Maximoff could do this, but then, so could someone with more decency. "Vision…"

Something with Vision was wrong, though. When she looked closer, she realized he had a stab wound. "What happened to you?"

"We were attacked. I cannot help you, Ana. I'm sorry. But _she_ can." He looked at Maximoff. Maximoff looked at Rogers.

"I choice is yours," he said. "But I've known Ana for longer than you have. She deserves a second chance."

"You know I wouldn't even consider it if I weren't desperate, right?" Ana asked her. Forgiveness didn't come easy, even when the universe was at stake. "But Thanos wants the Mind Stone, and he won't hesitate to rip it out of Vision's forehead."

An expression of fear crossed Maximoff's face, and Ana knew they were on the same page for once.

"Yeah, we're working on that," Bruce interrupted. "Steve thinks we can remove it, using Wakandan tech, without harming Vision. We were about to leave, then you showed up."

"That's good. I wouldn't want to stall you." She turned to Wanda again. "Look, I know we're not friends, but if you give me my memories back, I'll gladly help you tear Thanos to pieces."

Natasha gave them an encouraging smile. "That's not such a bad way to start a friendship, you know… Never say never."

The Sokovian sighed, indecisive.

"Wanda," Vision said softly. "I know Ana made too many mistakes in the past, but she deserves a chance to redeem herself. Please do it. For me."

Wanda still seemed unsure. "If this is another one of your games…"

"I'm asking you to look into my mind. What can I possibly gain from that?"

"We'll see." She started moving her hands, and red threads emerged from her fingers. Ana removed her Arc Reactor, put it aside, closed her eyes, and tried to relax. At this point she had nothing to hide. Well, she still had a few things, but they were inconsequential. Her desire to help was genuine. Depending on what Wanda would uncover, she…

In less than a second, everything came back to her, like the missing pieces of a puzzle. The night she had changed the future, the deal she had made with Charles Hinton, the vision he had shown her, being dragged into Hell by her grandfather, meeting the Ancient One, the days she had spent there, the things she had learned… And her grandfather's betrayal. Yeah, that one hurt the most. How she had begged Robbie and the others, and how deaf they had been to her pleas… That was the second.

Along with Wanda, she saw it all. They looked at each other. Wanda hadn't only seen the whole thing. She had seen it from Ana's perspective. They were both equally shocked by the brutality of it.

"What are you going to do?" she whispered after respectfully withdrawing from her mind.

"I'm going to find Coulson." Trembling with rage, Ana could barely speak. Yeah, she knew she had been betrayed, but the extent of that betrayal was beyond her imagination. Rogers made an attempt to stop her, but Wanda pulled him back and nodded reassuringly.

She was striding out of the Compound when Vision caught up with her. Moving seemed painful for him, so Ana stopped.

"Ana, please!" he said. "I don't know what Wanda showed you, but please don't go. This is not a good time to start another fight among ourselves. Come to Wakanda with us."

"I have to go."

"I… I'm scared. I want you to be there with me."

"You have Maximoff. And I've heard Princess Shuri is much smarter than I am. You'll be in good hands."

"JARVIS doesn't care how good they are. You're the only one he wants. He's scared, too."

Ana's heart almost stopped every time Vision mentioned JARVIS, but she reminded herself to be logical today. "I'm not going to SHIELD to cause drama. I'm going to find a way to kill Thanos. JARVIS has nothing to fear. Neither do you."

"If you say so… Good luck, Ana."

"You, too, JARVIS."

It took Ana a moment to realize the wrong name had escaped her mouth, but Vision didn't bother to correct her. He returned to the others. Ana went outside, donned the suit, and took off.


	63. Chapter 63

"FRIDAY, I want you to send Daisy a message. Tell her I remember _everything_," Ana said, as she flew to the Appalachians.

"Will do. Anything else?"

"Tell me about this new place. Is it another secret SSR base? Or, one of Fury's?"

"Actually, it's a decommissioned United States Army bunker."

"Huh…" That was a much simpler explanation than she had expected.

"May I ask what exactly your plan is?"

"I'm going to make things right." How she was going to do it depended on what she was going to find there.

"Last time you said that, you ended up in another dimension," FRIDAY reminded her darkly.

"Trust me, this won't be anything like the last time. I'll never let my guard down around them again. Or, around anyone who's not Dad, really."

They didn't talk again. Soon, Ana was at the location. She spotted a clearing in the snow-covered wilderness, landed, and scanned the area. On her right, there was a tightly-closed metal gate. Her helmet retracted, and she approached the entrance of the forgotten military base.

"What?" she called out. "Are you waiting for me to knock?"

In response, the gate parted open. There was a middle-aged woman standing on the other side, but Ana had never seen her before. "Hello, Ms. Stark. I'm General Hale, of the United States Air Force."

She might be a general, but she wasn't wearing a uniform right now, which led Ana to think this meeting was off the books. Ana could think of only one reason. "General Hale… Let me guess, Coulson's team was never missing? You've been aiding them this whole time?"

"Coulson and I… made a deal. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? Especially if the enemy is Thanos."

Since when the military had known about Thanos? And more importantly, how? Maybe the rest of the world was catching up, after all. A girl could hope.

"Come in, I'll explain everything."

She stepped inside, and heard the door close behind her. "When our paths crossed, it was a lot easier for me to convince Coulson about the severity of the threat than I'd imagined. I believe I have you to thank for that."

"I see Coulson has put all cards on the table for this one…"

"As have I."

Hale led her to a cafeteria, where the team was. They were all here, and each one of them looked mortified. Good. At least they had some decency left to be ashamed of what they had done.

"Hello, Ana," Coulson said softly. "It's good to see you."

"_See_ me? That's funny, because you can't even look me in the eye. You sent out an Air Force general to greet me at the door!"

"General Hale is not my messenger. She wanted to explain the situation herself. And since we don't have time for the drama, I thought it would be better."

She turned to Hale. "Please tell me you've been preparing for Thanos."

"We have. We'd been warned against Thanos even before you were."

"How come?"

"After the Battle of New York, my predecessors recovered a device. They were able to contact aliens."

"Wait, are you saying this has been going on since New York?"

"Yes."

"Look, at this point I'm pretty certain you're running a black-ops unit, but it doesn't matter. The rules are clear: Any alien artifact goes to Damage Control! No offense, General, but you and your 'predecessors' were way out of your league!"

"Yeah, that's the thing," Daisy winced. "They were not."

"What?"

"Hale isn't just Air Force. That's just her cover. She's HYDRA."

Ana gaped at them, at a loss for words for what felt like an eternity, then she burst into hysterical laughter. For a second there, she had tried being optimistic, and now there was this. But it was still a fact that they were running out of time, so she composed herself and got to the point.

"So, you guys work with HYDRA now? I wish I could say this is beneath you, but it's actually not."

"Ana, please," Daisy said. "You know that's not the case."

"Just to be clear, you guys know I can literally bring this place down on you, and fly away unscathed, right?"

"We don't wish to fight you," Hale-HYDRA said. "It's time we put our differences aside, because Thanos is coming, and it doesn't matter what flag we fly."

Well, considering every horrible crime HYDRA had ever committed, it kind of did matter, but as much as Ana hated to admit it, Hale had a point. "Okay, so you contacted aliens. Don't tell me it was Thanos himself."

"No. They call themselves the Confederacy."

Great, now Ana wished they had contacted Thanos himself instead. At least they wouldn't have brought another enemy into the mix. She had heard enough horror stories about the Confederacy from Sigyn. "Oh, no, no, no… Don't tell me it's_ the_ Confederacy! The one with the Astrans, the Kree, the Remorath—"

"That's the one," Hale confirmed. "They promised us protection against Thanos."

"Oh, I see… Let's, as a Nazi death cult, represent the human race on a shifty alien platform, and make a deal with the most ruthless, deceitful civilizations in the universe, because why the hell not? You idiots… They're not planning to help us, they're here to take over whatever ruin Thanos leaves behind!"

Perhaps her dad had seen this coming, too. He knew they were going to screw things up, and had sent Ana back to fix it, because he had no one else to rely on. His ability to predict the future never ceased to amaze her.

"Of course we didn't trust them," Hale defended herself. "We've been stalling them with idle promises. We have a weapon we can use against Thanos."

"You do realize a nuclear missile won't do the trick this time, right? The Confederacy is no match for Thanos, but it's still a force to be reckoned with."

"No. This is nothing like a nuclear missile. This is the Destroyer of Worlds."

"A bit overdramatic, but sounds like exactly what we need right now. Show me."

Hale started walking again, and this time, took her to a laboratory. It looked like someone had been working on a metal chamber.

"Is this the weapon?"

"It's a Particle Infusion Chamber." Hale grabbed a stack of papers on a desk and handed them to Ana. "Dr. Whitehall's design."

"So, the Destroyer of Worlds is not a weapon, but an enhanced person… I gotta admit; Whitehall was a smart guy," Ana commented, looking at the schematics. "The design is… extremely flexible. The subject can be infused with almost anything. Any of the Infinity Stones, vibranium, you name it…"

"We have something even better." There was a large cubic item standing next to the Infusion Chamber, a gray cover draped over it. Hale unveiled it for Ana to see.

"Gravitonium," she gasped, recoiling in fear. "All this time, it was with you…"

"Originally, we were planning to have our scientists work on it, but there was a change of plans when we found out you Starks were after it. It was brought here immediately after the raiding of the Fridge."

"But it's been here since then, meaning HYDRA was reluctant to use it for some reason. What's the catch? Can't find any volunteers?"

"Come, there's one more thing I want you to see."

Her vision was coming true. For years, there had been no sign of the gravitonium, but today, here it was. That couldn't be a coincidence. No, they had to use it. They had to use it for anything other than time-travel, before they reached the point of no return. It was the only way to change the future. If that meant creating a Destroyer of Worlds, so be it.

Ana followed Hale to another room on this same floor. Here, there was an unconscious teenage girl lying in a medical bed, hooked up to monitors and an IV.

"This place was a HYDRA academy," Hale reminisced. "And I was a student. One of the two female students who made it to the commencement, in fact. I admired Daniel Whitehall back then. I thought I could work with him on the Project Destroyer of Worlds. Instead, he decided to use me as a broodmare… HYDRA genetically engineered the Destroyer of Worlds, and I was expected to give birth to her. I was artificially inseminated."

"This is your daughter?" Ana asked, surprised.

She stroked the girl's hair and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Her name is Ruby."

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to feel bad for you? Because I don't. _You_ chose to use your daughter as a guinea pig. If it didn't work out, that's on you."

"I never wanted her to enter that chamber. She wasn't ready. I thought Daisy Johnson would be a better choice. Ruby got jealous when she found out. All her life, she had trained so hard to become the Destroyer of Worlds, I can't blame her. She went behind my back, completed the chamber, and infused herself with the gravitonium. She absorbed 8% of it before it became too much. We turned the device off, got her out of there… She could fly. And crush people's heads. Daisy was there, too. She tried to help her learn to control her powers. It didn't work. Fitz-Simmons had to sedate her in the end. I don't know if it will ever be safe to wake her up. Those two say the process was irreversible. I was hoping you'd differ."

"What do you think went wrong?"

"I don't have to _think_. We _know_. In the past, gravitonium absorbed two people: Franklin Hall and Ian Quinn. Think about it. Coulson said you were there when Dr. Hall died."

"So, gravitonium is lethal for humans? That's the problem?"

"No. I said 'absorbed,' not 'killed.' Ruby wasn't dying. She was hearing voices in her head. The voices of those two men. Their consciousnesses are alive in the gravitonium."

"And you want it to happen to Daisy instead?" Ana asked angrily. "Let me make something clear: Just because they stabbed me in the back doesn't mean I'll do the same to them. Especially not for you."

"Daisy thinks she can silence the voices. She's a soldier. She has the discipline."

_Bad idea,_ was the first thing she thought. But if Daisy was up for it, it might be worth a shot. She was strong, focused, self-disciplined. She had experience with enhancements. "Let me talk to her first."

"What about Ruby? Is it too late for her?"

"There might be a way or two," Ana said, thinking of Wanda. She could fix Ruby's mind. If all else failed, the Time Stone could work. "But I'll keep the details to myself for now. I need insurance, given how much Stark blood you have on your tentacles."

"Coulson is a problem, though. He's very protective of Daisy. We have to convince him."

"I'll see what I can do. Let's go back to the cafeteria."

Ana was more hopeful now. If this went right, it would be the perfect anti-Thanos weapon they needed. But she and Daisy had to talk first and do a risk assessment.

They didn't have to return to the cafeteria, though. They saw that the door to the lab with the Infusion Chamber was wide open, and the team had gathered there.

"Just wanted to make sure Hale didn't talk you into entering that chamber," Coulson explained.

"Why waste the gravitonium on me, while we have her?" Ana asked, looking at Daisy.

Coulson shook his head. "No."

"Come on, Coulson! Are you going to stand idly by while Thanos prepares to kill half of the universe? What happened to being humanity's shield?"

"I think we deserve a break after the whole Framework ordeal."

"Yeah, I imagine the Framework must have done quite a number on you," Ana sneered. "If we survive this, I'll even let you use BARF for therapy. I used it on myself, 100% recommend it. After what you and Howard Stark did—"

"We had to make a hard call."

"You had no right!"

"It was what _he_ wanted," Daisy said in a small voice.

"I don't care whose idea it was. Thanos is coming, and there's no time to create the Nexus." She placed a hand on the chamber. "_This_ is the only other way."

"You can't force Daisy to enter that chamber," Coulson said.

"You're right. I can't. Even if I could, I wouldn't. I'm not like you guys. But know this: If Thanos wins, all that blood will be on your hands. Because you chose to eliminate the only heads-up humanity got in time, and now, you're too scared to use what you have!"

"Can we have a word in private?" Daisy asked hastily. Ana nodded, and they went to an empty room. Daisy slammed the door shut. "I do want to enter that chamber."

"I know. Hale told me. But she seems too emotional right now, so you give me some insight. What really happened?"

"Ruby was just a kid. She was unstable. I'm not. I know what I'm signing up for."

"What about Coulson?"

"He doesn't call the shots anymore. He wants me to lead."

"Why?"

"He's dying."

"What?"

"To kill AIDA, he made a deal with the Rider. It took away the Kree medicine that kept him alive."

"Oh. I'm… sorry." Ana meant it. She would never forgive them for what they had done to her, but she wasn't that heartless. She knew what it meant for Daisy, to lose Coulson.

"We actually have a cure. He's just too stubborn to take it. I don't know what to do, Ana."

"Well, if I were you, I wouldn't give him a choice, but that's me."

"Let me talk to Coulson again, okay?"

"Yeah, but hurry up. We don't have much time. My dad's planning to go against Thanos with a clueless hormonal teenager and wizard we barely know. We must give you your powers, then go to his help."

"Got it," she said, and stormed out. Ana decided to see who else she could convince in the meantime.

She was heading for the stairs when she saw Fitz. The wedding ring on his finger hadn't escaped her notice. "Congratulations, I suppose?

"Thanks… For the record, I'm on your side. Mack and I were the only ones who didn't want to go along with Howard Stark's plan."

"If that's the case, why didn't you say anything back in that lab?"

"Trust me, my support wouldn't exactly help you right now."

"Why not?"

"I should probably tell you about the Framework… Come."

They returned to the cafeteria, which was now empty. Fitz poured two cups of tea, then started to explain, "You already know about Radcliffe's Framework. AIDA took it and turned into some kind of virtual prison for us, using the Darkhold."

"Yeah, I read the reports."

"It was an alternate reality where HYDRA reigned, and she was their leader. Madame HYDRA, they called her. I just called her Ophelia. I was her right-hand man. And her lover. The Doctor. I didn't even remember Jemma when I was in there. My heart belonged to Ophelia only."

"And here I thought JARVIS and I were the weirdest couple ever…"

"Well, in the Framework, you were the second most powerful couple after us."

This intrigued her. Had they existed in the Framework, too? She took a sip from her tea, and leaned forward. "Do tell."

"To secure HYDRA's position, we had to get rid of all threats, including the potential Avengers. When the time came for Tony, you made a deal with Ophelia. You promised her your loyalty, and to prove it, offered to kill an enemy for her. So, she sent you to Maveth, to kill Hive. She wasn't expecting you to come back, but you did, and after that, you became HYDRA's number one weapons contractor."

"I was the Merchant of Death."

He shook his head. "No. Not the Merchant of Death. Just Death."

"How come?"

"There was this symbol I found after the Monolith swallowed Jemma._ Maveth_, the Hebrew word for death. The name of the planet. When Ophelia said she'd send you to Maveth with no backup, you secretly built a body for JARVIS and took him with you."

"And we killed Hive?"

"Come on, Ana. You're underestimating yourself. You did more than that. You brought him to Earth _alive_. Then you removed him from the host body, and destroyed it, on live broadcast for everyone to witness. To prove that even the most feared aliens weren't superior to humans. After that, you started to wear the Maveth symbol as a badge of honor. Human supremacists started worshipping you. They called you Death. Killing you would've only made you a martyr, and the only way to control you was to keep Tony alive. So, we sent him and Pepper to a nice, big mansion on a remote island. As long as they were safe, you and JARVIS were going to work for us. Your loyalty to HYDRA was an act, of course, but your hatred for aliens, your passion for Terran supremacy… That part was real."

"But it was just a computer program. A story AIDA made up. None of it was real. Even you guys were just a bunch of codes until you were physically plugged into the system!"

"No? Can you look me in the eye, and tell me it doesn't sound like you at all?"

"No," she said. "I'm not a fascist who—"

"Fascism requires fear and hatred. You have plenty of both in you," he stated.

Ana didn't argue with him. He was right.

He went on, "It was a story, yes, but it was a story based on what we could have been. Each and every single one of us. The Darkhold made sure of that."

"Why are you telling me this?" She could see that he had an ulterior motive.

"Because now you know who you have to be if you want to stop Thanos."

"Which brings me to my other question: Who am I talking to now? Fitz, or the Doctor?"

"Does it matter?" he asked in a sinister tone that could never be heard from the Fitz she knew, and she became sure that he was having a multiple personality disorder.

"So, here we are, then… Death, and the Doctor."

He thoughtfully studied his hands. "I guess it all comes down to one question: Which one of us is going to do what needs to be done?"

"That was a… dramatic story, Fitz. Really. And convincing. Except, you should've left JARVIS out of it. You see, JARVIS would've obliterated AIDA. She would've never taken such a risk by recreating him in the Framework."

"Destroying AIDA would've destroyed the Framework. JARVIS knew it. He also knew he was dead in this world. AIDA never lied to him. He was happy. He was with you."

"Another lie. The real JARVIS would've escaped the Framework and come to me. He wouldn't have let me suffer, especially just to be with a fake version of me."

"Come here to be killed again, this time by the Ghost Rider? He was a creation of the Darkhold, Reyes wouldn't have let him live. I told you, AIDA didn't lie to him. JARVIS knew there was no happy ending for him in this world."

She was probably being played, but the prospect of getting JARVIS back wasn't something she could easily dismiss. "Is the Framework gone? Completely?"

"Yes… Though I might have salvaged a few things. Including parts of JARVIS. Combined with the fragments in Vision—"

"He can come back…"

Fitz nodded. "The Ghost Rider has returned to Hell, so there's no one who can stop you."

"Prove it. Show me the codes."

"While you have your suit on? I don't think so. Your boyfriend will be my hostage until I get what I want."

"What do you want?"

"Isn't it obvious by now? I want you to kill Thanos."

"I don't get why you think I need more incentive for that."

"You do need the incentive, Ana. Because you're too scared to do what needs to be done."

"Believe me, if I knew how to kill Thanos, I wouldn't have left my dad on that spaceship."

"You need two things, and they're both here."

"What things?"

"A weapon of mass destruction, which is almost ready."

"The Destroyer of Worlds."

He nodded, and continued, "The second thing you need is an army."

She understood what he was getting at. He wasn't talking about a human army. "Do you want me to take over the Confederacy? Single-handedly?"

"I do."

Yes, it could be done. Not by Hale, obviously. She didn't have what it took. But Ana did, and they both knew it.

"If you're a supervillain now, why do you concern yourself with the fate of the universe?"

"My reasons are the same as yours," he answered, fidgeting with his ring. "I want a future with my family. There's no Ophelia here. But I have Jemma. And my team. I have no intention to lose any of them."

"But you're not willing to fight for them yourself. You want me to get my hands dirty for you. You want a scapegoat, someone to take the blame for the collateral damage after it's over."

"I knew we'd come to an understanding."

"I'll do it. But know this: I'm not doing it for you. This is not the Framework. Here, I have the power to control spacetime itself, the greatest force in the universe! I refuse to become anyone's puppet, least of all yours! So, keep in mind that it's not just the two of us in this room. FRIDAY has been recording everything you just told me. If you wrong me, your little secret will be out. You'll lose your family forever."

"Now this is the Ana Stark the universe needs…"

He was smiling proudly when they were interrupted by Simmons. The Doctor became Fitz again in an instant.

"We have a problem," Jemma said gravely. "The Confederacy is here. They want the gravitonium, now."

Fitz gave Ana a short, but meaningful look before hugging his wife.

"I'll take care of them," she muttered, and stormed out of the room.

"Take care of them?" Jemma cried, running after her. "What are you going to do?"

"You'll see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, this was going to be one super long chapter, but I decided to split it into two chapters. Ana's Framework persona and her attempt to take over the Confederacy (which happens in the next chapter) were supposed to be "deleted scenes," so to say, but later I decided to add them, because they're important to why Thanos chooses to adopt her and her transformation into "Death." I know Death is Thanos' love interest in the comics, and here, it's definitely a nod to that, but it's definitely nothing more than that. There will be no incestuous feelings, so if that's a concern, don't worry. Yeah, Ana will never see Thanos as her father, but I thought I should still clarify.
> 
> I started planning out this fic even before IW came out, and the original idea was that Thanos only "adopts" Ana to spite Tony, but IW inspired me to make his reasons more complex. His logic will be distorted with grief by the time he meets Ana, and he will actually believe she can be his Gamora replacement. I know the changes I have made in the canon so far seem very insignificant, but I promise they will have a snowball effect soon! Things about the get a lot darker in the next chapter, and they won't get any better until the last 3 bonus chapters. You'll probably hate me, but please remember that I actually managed to write a happy ending!
> 
> Another note for those who watch AoS: You might have noticed Talbot wasn't on Hale's secret HYDRA base. That's because Hale never captures him in this story, fearing the Starks might notice and track him down, considering they are keeping a close eye on Talbot. Besides, Hale didn't need his help to convince Coulson to work with HYDRA against Thanos.


	64. Chapter 64

By the time they reached the front gate, Hale was preparing to get out.

"Move aside, General Hale. I'll handle this."

"Ana, this is not a good time to fight among ourselves. We need to give those bastards an illusion of unity."

"They already know we have no unity. They're only here, demanding what is rightfully ours, because you failed to teach them their place. Time to step aside, general."

"Ana—"

She pointed a missile at her. "I'm not asking."

Hale sighed tensely, knowing full well Ana wouldn't hesitate to fire it. "At least let us listen in. If you're going to speak for us, we have a right to know what you're saying."

"Fair enough."

Daisy brought her an earpiece. "I can come with you."

"No. If I let them think I need to hide behind a bodyguard, they won't fear me."

"Be careful out there, okay?"

"I will."

Hale opened the gate, and Ana went out. The Confederacy ship was up there, hovering several hundred feet above them. She flew up to it. As she did, she allowed herself to be filled with all the anger and hatred she was going to need. She thought of all those bullies and harassers. Everyone who wanted the Starks dead, tormented, or humiliated. Those who had scoffed at their fears, their desperation to protect humanity. All those years they had wasted letting the lesser men keep them on a leash because they were too polite to do otherwise.

And of course, the aliens themselves…

Watching her dad go into the wormhole with a nuke on his back, begging him not to leave her. The PTSD that had followed. All those sleepless nights, nightmares, anxiety attacks. His relationship with Pepper ruined. Ultron. JARVIS. The Accords, tightening the leash. The Red Hulk. SHIELD. Howard Stark. Ghost Rider. Hell. TAHITI. All because of aliens…

The game she was about to play was exactly the kind of thing Howard Stark would approve. She didn't care. Once the aliens were dealt with, she could worry about him. She was going to go to Hell again, and drag him back to Earth this time. She was going to make him look his son in the eye and tell him what he had done. No, not just him. Rogers, too. He had to see the disappointment on Captain America's face. That would be his greatest punishment.

_One problem at a time._

"Ana, you must be very careful," FRIDAY warned her. "You'll be trapped with these dangerous aliens on a spaceship."

"And they'll be trapped with me."

"What exactly do you have in mind?"

Before Ana could answer, she had reached the ship's level. The gates parted open, she entered. The one who greeted her was a Remorath, unless she was mistaken.

"Where's Hale?" was the first thing he asked.

"General Hale no longer represents Terra."

"Why not?"

"Our internal politics are none of your concern. My name is Ana Stark, and that's all you need to know for now. What should I call you, Remorath?"

Her entitled attitude created the desired effect of shock. The man laughed at her. In the meantime, FRIDAY was running various scans on his body and analyzing the Remorath physiology as fast as she could.

"You have so much to learn, human. My name is Qovas, and I expect the same level of respect your predecessor, fortunately, never failed to show from you as well."

"Are the other five members of the Confederacy here? I'd like a meeting with them at once."

"They have more important concerns than one insignificant planet. You should be honored by this generosity we have shown you!"

"_Ana, be careful!"_ she heard Hale's voice in her ear. _"You do not want to antagonize him."_

Well, it was this cowardice that made humans always the victim. This was exactly what needed to change first.

Now that FRIDAY had completed the analysis, she retracted the helmet, so they could literally see eye to eye. "Call the other members, and we can discuss what exactly this 'generosity' entails."

"Seize her!"

Three guards came running, to apprehend Ana, but it was nothing two repulsor blasts couldn't handle. Five more followed them, but she killed them all with ease. Then she grabbed Qovas himself, the nanites formed long, sharp claws around her fingertips, and she thrusted her right hand into his chest cavity.

"You can feel my fingers right under your heart, can't you? I move them up half an inch, and you're dead."

He swallowed thickly. It honestly felt good, after all that fear and stress caused by aliens, to have one at her mercy. It was almost like a drug. She felt like she could get addicted to this. The Remorath were a race of scavengers, known for their savagery, and yet, eight of them were lying dead at her feet, their superior ready to beg for mercy. If this wasn't a confidence boost, Ana didn't know what was. And she really needed a confidence boost today. Maybe, she could be Death in this world, too, after all. Like the Doctor had said, fascism required fear and hatred, and Ana had a plethora of both. And aliens deserved to have a taste of their own poison.

"Call the other members. I know they all have the means of teleportation. The meeting will start in five minutes."

"I will."

She removed her hand from his body slowly. He went off to call the others. The nanites on her gauntlet self-cleaned the blood.

Five minutes later, she was standing before all the Confederacy members.

"It is good to meet you all," she started. "I trust Qovas told you who I am?"

"What do you want?" the Rajaks asked.

"A seat on this council, for starters."

"This is outrageous!" someone else hissed. "For centuries the Confederacy has had but six members! To add another would desecrate the order. Especially a… Terran."

"I should warn you, I'm nothing like the Terrans you've met before. One way or the other, I'll have my rightful place in your order. I'd rather do it peacefully."

"We've heard enough," another one said. "I submit we strip her to rags and put her to auction."

"_Congratulations, you just got yourself sold into slavery,"_ Daisy mocked angrily._ "Get the hell out of there, now!"_

"You might want to think twice before you enslave the daughter of the man who destroyed Thanos' armies," she said calmly, and started seeing the first traces of self-doubt on their faces. Without the HUD, she couldn't see it herself, but she knew FRIDAY was analyzing their physiologies while Ana spoke. She would know how to kill them, or harm them without killing them, like she had done to Qovas, if things came to that.

"What?" the Kree scoffed.

"You all know Thanos sent the Chitauri to our planet six years ago. They were led by the Asgardian prince Loki. He was defeated. My father was the one who destroyed the Chitauri mothership."

They didn't argue. They knew Thanos had been defeated, by humans, and it was a fact they didn't like much. But it was a fact nonetheless.

"Prove it," the Astran demanded.

"Of course." A projection of the pictures she had taken on Thanos' ship popped up on her left wrist. "As we speak, my father is on his way to confront Thanos. When two of his children attacked the Earth today, we defeated them, and my father took their ship and left to face Thanos himself. These are the pictures he sent me from that ship. Everything 's going according to his plan."

They all leaned forward to look closer, blinking, squinting, frowning, as if they were struggling to believe it.

"This is indeed a Q-Ship," Qovas said. "This woman, my friends, is no charlatan."

"And these are the coordinates of Titan," another one said. "Thanos' home planet. Her father is going to fight him there!"

_Titan, then. Good to know._

"Qovas is right. I'm no liar. But you all are. General Hale told me you promised protection against Thanos, in exchange for our gravitonium. Perhaps I should punish you for this pitiful attempt of deception, but instead, I'm generously, and mercifully, offering you an alliance. _We_ can protect you from Thanos."

"_So, your genius plan is basically to bullshit them?"_ Daisy commented.

"We're not liars!"

"No?" She turned to Qovas first. "The Remorath, for example, are a race of marauders. You don't even have a planet you can call home, or a regular army. You steal from the weak, you live like leeches just to get by. How exactly are you planning to contribute to the stand against Thanos?"

Qovas gritted his teeth angrily, but the wound in his chest was an effective reminder of why he shouldn't piss Ana off. She turned to the Kree this time. "And you? You fought a lengthy war with Xandar, one that ended with a peace treaty you had no choice but to sign. Your once-fearsome Accusers were scattered, your traditions abandoned. You're so afraid of the backlash that you lie about the experiments you performed on various species to create soldiers, about the Inhumans you created in my world. You bowed to Xandar, and Xandar was destroyed by Thanos."

Their faces were priceless.

"Well, I hope the impression General Hale left on you is disabused by now. As I said, I'm nothing like the Terrans you met in the past." Seriously, if they rescued Sigyn from Thanos, Ana was going to give her a big hug, to thank for all the lessons.

"Such a bold claim requires a stronger proof," the Kree said. "In our order, all voices are equal. If you want a seat, you have to prove that you are our equal."

She approached him. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't know you. But if I had to guess, I'd say you're from one of the ancient and noble houses of Hala." The ridiculous make-up he wore had led her to that conclusion. These guys should go easy with the eyeliner.

His blue face broke into a proud, pleased grin. "And you'd be right. I'm firstborn Taryan, Master of House Kasius."

"I see. On our planet, we, too, have such families. In fact, I come from one of them."

"What is the name of your house?"

"Stark."

She expected a _Game of Thrones_ joke from Daisy, but it didn't come. In fact, the comm line had been cut off. Not by Ana, certainly. She wondered what the hell was going on down there. She should wrap things up here fast and get back to the bunker. Of course, the aliens couldn't know she was in a hurry.

"A name we all should remember well, then," Taryan Kasius said.

"Indeed. So, Master Kasius, let's discuss the obvious truth: The Confederacy says all voices are equal in this order, but people like you and I know some voices are always more equal than others, no matter where you go in the universe. My question is, who's _really_ in charge here? You?"

He laughed with fake humility. "Oh, no. While I'm proud of my noble heritage, Crixon here is often considered the most wise among us."

The Astran stepped forward, looking equally surprised and flattered. Idiot. He wasn't even realizing his Kree friend was using him as bait. "I say—" he started, but Ana silenced him.

"That's very wise of you, indeed… Master Kasius. To put forth a decoy to see what I'm going to do to your leader. The problem is, such tricks don't work on me. You should've known. Those who are born into power can always tell where it resides."

Crixon whipped his head towards Taryan, humiliation and betrayal flickering over his face.

"You think you can turn us against each other with such cheap tricks?" Taryan spat.

"I don't have to."

"Leave. Leave while you still can!"

Ana took another step towards him. "Is this the part where I'm supposed to get down on my knees and beg for a second chance? You still expect me to be like General Hale, Kree. You expect a supplicant, ready to do your bidding, just for the mere promise of an opportunity… I don't do that. My father taught me opportunities aren't offered. They're taken."

With these words, she formed a sword with the nanites, and chopped off his head. A bit of overkill, yes, but these aliens needed a spectacle. After this, a bunch of Kree guards charged at her running. She killed them, too, the last one by ripping out his spine for good measure. They needed an _unforgettable_ spectacle.

"There," she said, throwing the spinal cord she was holding up at their feet. "This was what you wanted, right?"

The other leaders, and the guards who were smart enough to surrender, were looking around, indecisive. They needed a new direction.

"Kneel before me," Ana demanded.

They were even less hesitant to obey than Ana had expected. These pompous assholes must have never been challenged before. This was new to them.

"F—forgive me, my lady, but… w—what should we call you?" Qovas asked. Funny, he must have paid no attention to her name when she had first said it. Now, she wanted to know the proper way to address her because he wanted to keep his head.

At that moment, Ana knew she could be anything she wanted. A lady, a queen, an empress, or even a goddess… Whatever the hell she wanted to be. But she didn't want any of these.

"You shall me Death."

She understood now. From bullies at high school to evil alien warlords in space, death was the one thing everyone feared. After living in fear for far too long, being the ultimate source of fear was what Ana truly wanted from the universe. For the first time in forever, she felt completely, unashamedly free.

"As you wish."

"I'm taking over the Confederacy in the name of my father, Tony Stark," she announced, just in case it wasn't obvious enough. She didn't want to bring her dad into this, but she had to make sure they obeyed him in case something happened to her. Besides, what could be a better wedding gift than a personal intergalactic army that would always be at their disposal?

"The Confederacy is yours to command. Do you want us to prepare the troops?"

"Yes. And send them to Titan at once." The team was going to be pissed when they found out she had sent the Confederacy forces to her dad instead of using them to protect the Earth, but she had used the knowledge she had carefully studied over the years, put her own life at risk, played a dangerous game to get this power. She had earned the right to use the Confederacy as she saw fit. This was her army now. She could do whatever the hell she wanted with it. And her father's life meant to her more than the entire planet. She wasn't going to apologize for that after all the shit the world had given her.

"You know, at some point, you're going to have to explain this to your dad," FRIDAY reminded casually as they returned to the base.

"I have a feeling what I did with the Confederacy will be the least of his problems by then." She didn't want to think about how he would feel once he found out about his dad.

But when she returned to the base, they seemed to have even more important problems.

There was another Ana in the base, and two Daisy Johnsons.

There was no need for an explanation. Ana knew these uninvited guests were from the future. And not from a distant one, by the look of it. They had the same looks, same hair, same clothes. Except for a few cuts and bruises, and their gear had been damaged. This was the day Ana Stark used time-travel.

Looking at yourself wasn't anything like looking into a mirror. The thought had occurred to Ana before, of course, when she had first invented time-traveling on a theoretical level. She had been mentally preparing herself for the possibility ever since, and yet, the moment she laid eyes on her other self, all that preparation had been rendered useless.

But it wasn't even the uncanniness of the situation that was giving her the queasy feeling in her stomach. If she had resorted to time-traveling, something was to go very, very wrong today.

"What happened?" she asked simply.

It was the future Daisy who spoke. "You all need to go to Wakanda, now! The fight will happen there."

"What will you guys do?" the present Daisy asked.

"We'll turn me into the Destroyer of Worlds. Please, you have to trust us. You wouldn't even want to know what led us to do this."

So, Daisy was going into the Infusion Chamber, after all… She and May exchanged looks, then the latter nodded. "Wheels up in five."

Like everyone else in the room, Ana was leaving to prepare for the flight, but her future self stopped her.

"Take this," she said, shoving a small vial of gravitonium into her hand. "20 grams."

"Why 20?" According to her calculations, 10 grams should be enough to stabilize a portal. Had she made a mistake?

"All warfare is based on deception… Now, go."

* * *

"FRIDAY, what's this?"

"I don't know! The gravity storm appeared out of nowhere! It's spreading!"

"To where?"

"Everywhere!"

It was like five minutes after the take-off. One moment, they were discussing strategies, and next, everyone was being hurled around in Zephyr One. Something had hit them, and it had hit hard. May had lost control of the jet. With her suit, Ana had been able to latch herself onto the floor. May's belt kept her in her seat, but she was struggling to regain control.

"I'm flying blind!" she shouted. Indeed, the navigation systems had gone haywire. The windshield was obscured by dark whirlwinds of dust and rock.

"FRIDAY, get us out of here!"

"There's only one way out, Ana. You have to get away from the gravitational field of Earth!"

"What about everyone else?"

"They can't survive in outer space, but you can. And unless you leave in the next 2 minutes, I'll set the suit on autopilot. I'm sorry, these are Mr. Stark's protocols. I'm programmed to protect you above everyone else!"

"Actually, we can survive in space," May corrected her. "Fitz did some upgrades… Everyone, hold onto something!"

Most did, but Coulson passed out before he could. The injury Loki had given him in 2012 must have been taking a toll, with the Kree medicine gone.

"Coulson!" Daisy cried, and quaked him to Ana's way with one free hand. Since her boots were still attached to the floor, Ana could use her arms to carry Coulson.

FRIDAY checked his vitals. "He's still alive," she announced. Even in the midst of the pandemonium, everyone was relieved to hear that.

It was a bumpy ride, but May managed to take them to space. Ana carefully placed the still unconscious Coulson into the seat beside May's.

"FRIDAY, what the hell was that?" Ana whispered.

No reply came.

"FRIDAY?"

FRIDAY was offline. It didn't make sense; FRIDAY was connected to several satellites in the Earth's orbit. They couldn't be out of their range yet. Ana went to look out the nearest window to see what was going on. So did everyone else.

It was gone. Earth was gone. It had cracked open, just like that.


	65. Chapter 65

"Is Thanos already here?" Yo-yo asked.

"It wasn't Thanos. It was these two," Fitz stuttered, pointing a shaky finger at Ana and Daisy.

Ana didn't know what to say. She couldn't look anyone in the eye. She couldn't look at the planet that had just become a mass graveyard to 7.5 billion people because of her. Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy were among them… Peter's aunt and his friends… A brave kid had gone to space to protect them, and this was what he was going to find if he ever returned. Even FRIDAY was dead. All the satellites in Earth's orbit must have been destroyed by the gravity storm as well.

_I can fix this. I have to._ "The gravitonium," she recalled. "This is why my future self gave it to me! To fix this!"

"Yeah, that's the problem!" Fitz snapped at her. "You gave yourself the gravitonium and created a bloody time loop! You're going to repeat the same mistake over, and over—"

"I know what a time loop is, thank you!" She knew she had no right to defend herself, but there was already so much guilt and remorse that she didn't need any more from others.

"How did it start?" Hale asked him.

"It's a loop; it doesn't have a beginning, or an end!"

At that moment, everything around them started shaking.

"Daisy…" Simmons said warily.

"You turned me into a weapon of mass destruction," Daisy snarled at Ana, and sent her flying off. Ana managed to halt in time so she wouldn't open a hole in the ship. Then she deactivated the suit completely, in case Daisy decided to try again and succeeded. And if they decided to kill her, so be it.

"I don't know, the future you seemed pretty eager to become the Destroyer of Worlds," she taunted her. "It wouldn't have come to that if you'd just let me keep my memories! I warned you this was going to happen!"

Things started to shake again. "Your solution back then was to read the Darkhold! How was that any better?"

"Daisy," Coulson, who must have been awake for some time, approached her.

"I don't understand, Coulson," she broke into sobs. "Why would I do this?"

"I don't think it was you. You weren't in control. Remember what happened to Ruby?"

Hale collapsed on her knees. "My daughter… She's dead, too!"

"I can't live with this, Coulson! It's too much!"

"It's okay. It's not your fault. It's not anybody's fault." He took her into his arms, and the shaking ceased.

Nobody was going to comfort Ana. Her dad was light-years away. Maybe he was dead, too.

"_This is the Wakandan Royal Talon Fighter, requesting permission to board. Does anyone copy?"_

Ana recognized T'Challa's voice.

"There are survivors!" Mack gasped.

"Royal Talon, this is Zephyr One," May said. "You have permission to dock."

King T'Challa wasn't alone. His sister was with him. So was Vision and Wanda. And Rhodey.

Wanda was unconscious in Vision's arms. "I carried her to the Royal Talon as fast I could, but she was deprived of oxygen for too long," he explained.

Simmons quickly fetched an oxygen mask. Coulson was telling T'Challa and his sister what had happened. Rhodey got out of his suit and came to Ana's side. Not knowing what else to, Ana buried her face into his chest to muffle her sobs.

"I did this, Rhodey. It's all my fault."

He took her to a corner away from everybody, and made her sit down on the floor. He sat down beside her, still holding Ana in his arms. "Sweetie, tell me what happened. Tell me everything."

"Didn't you hear what Coulson just said?"

"I want to hear your side of the story. Wanda told us what SHIELD did to you."

She shook his head. "Coulson is telling the truth this time. I murdered billions. I thought I murdered you, too, but… I'm so happy to see you here, Rhodey! I know I don't deserve a single bit of happiness after this, but I am!"

"I'm happy to see you, too, sweetie."

"Do you think anyone else might have survived? Pepper, Happy…" Despite all this madness going around, she was somewhat hopeful for a miracle.

"Oh, Ana. I don't think they have."

"Right…"

"I was able to escape because I had my suit on. Vision was barely able to save Wanda. T'Challa didn't even have time to find his mother."

"What am I going to do?"

"We should focus on finding Tony. You still have his coordinates, right."

"I do."

"That's good. That's a good start."

"Peter is with him… My gosh, Rhodey, how am I going to look them in the eye? Dad sacrificed everything to protect our world! I destroyed it!"

"If what they say is true, then it wasn't you. You didn't create the Destroyer of Worlds."

"But I was going to—"

"Ana, did you, or did you not put Daisy Johnson into that chamber? Did you do it with your own hands?"

"I didn't," she admitted.

"Then it's not your fault. I won't let anyone hold you responsible for someone else's actions. Even if that someone is another version of you."

She was grateful to have him here, she really was, but this didn't help her feel any better. That other version had originated from who Ana had become after taking over the Confederacy. She was finally the monster she was always meant to be.

"My—" She swallowed thickly, then gasped for air. It was like an invisible hand was squeezing her throat, and another was punching her in the chest. "Rhodey, I—I can't—"

"Sweetie?"

"I can't breathe!"

"You shouldn't," someone interrupted. Princess Shuri. She was giving Ana a baleful glare.

"Okay, this is not going to help us," Rhodey said. "We gotta focus on—"

"Look around you, Colonel! There's nothing left to focus on! And it's all _her_ fault!"

"She just wanted what we all wanted: To stop Thanos."

"It wasn't up to her! What made her think she's better than any of us?"

"Well, I'm sorry I didn't grow up on a mountain of vibranium!" Ana finally retorted. "I had to work with what I had, okay?"

She didn't know how she still had the nerve to defend herself. Maybe it was just her brain holding onto the last fragment of sanity left in her.

"Do you even have any idea what it was like down there? You deserve to die a horrible death, like all those people you killed!"

At that moment, Ana recalled Charles' vision again. "I _am_ going to die a horrible death," she mumbled, and ran to find Daisy.

Daisy was with Fitz-Simmons. They were discussing if the loop could be broken. "We're stuck, Jemma," Fitz was saying. "We can never stop trying, so we're stuck in this loop! Forever!"

"We can try something else!" Simmons said. "A different strategy, maybe—"

"Do you think we didn't think of that before! That's the thing. We're going to make the same mistakes again and again!"

"We have to let go," Ana broke in. "We have to let go of the Earth itself. It's the only way."

Fitz looked at her incredulously. "Do you honestly believe we'll listen to you after _this_?"

"My future self gave me double the amount of the gravitonium I need for time-travel! She quoted from Sun Tzu. It has to mean something!"

It wasn't just any quote, it was Howard Stark's favorite quote. She had found that out in Hell.

"Yeah, I'm sure we thought of that, too."

"Come on, Fitz! I've changed the future before."

"Yeah, but this time, you're going to have to undo the past, which is impossible!"

"I know. It's too late for us. I'm talking about saving another universe. Of course, not that the Doctor cares, but…"

"What?" Simmons asked suspiciously. "What's she talking about, Fitz?"

That would be enough to stop his attempts to shift the blame. Ana looked at Daisy. "Remember my death? It all makes sense now! _This_ is why I'm supposed to die in the past!"

Daisy smiled bitterly. "That's _your_ redemption, though. What about the rest of us?"

"I'm not sure yet, but—"

"Selfish as ever, Ana…"

Seeing there was no reasoning with them, Ana left them alone, and went to Vision and Wanda's side. She was awake now. "How are you feeling?" Ana asked her.

"Better."

Neither she nor Vision seemed as hostile as Ana had expected them to be. Perhaps it was because Wanda had been in her head, and knew her intentions were good. "You've seen my death. You know what's meant to happen."

Wanda nodded. Vision didn't seem confused, or shocked, so she must have told him.

"_Your plan will work."_ Wong's ghost had appeared right beside them. Everyone turned to him.

"What the—"

"This is my astral form," Wong explained, though Ana had no idea what an astral form was. "While on Titan, Strange used the Time Stone to see the future. He warned me. I know how this will play out. Thanos will come for the Mind Stone. He will choose to adopt you and Princess Shuri, just like he adopted Lady Sigyn. He will give Daisy to the Kree, in exchange for a truce. He will kill everybody else."

"How do we stop him?" Coulson asked.

"We can't. We should not. This is the only way."

As Wong spoke, a plan was already being formed in Ana's head. "He's right," she said.

Everyone except Rhodey, Vision, Wanda, and maybe Coulson looked at her like they wanted to strangle her to death with their bare hands.

"You're all going to die," Wong continued, then looked at Ana. "But you… You're going to die twice."

"I know."

"Who the hell is this guy?" Mack asked. Right, most people here didn't even know who Wong was.

"We saw him on the news this morning, remember?" Coulson said. "He's on our side."

"Wanda," Ana started. "I know what I must do. What we all must do. But they won't trust me. So, I need you to look inside my head, and see my plan. You'll see I'm right."

Wanda nodded, and entered Ana's mind again. She saw it all. The remaining gravitonium had to be split in half. One was going to be given to Thanos, the other was going to be hidden from him. Wanda was going to erase these moments from everyone's minds, including her own, because once Thanos got his hands on the Mind Stone, he would be able to see their thoughts. It was a risk they couldn't take. Wanda was also going to rewire Ana's brain to earn Thanos' trust, so that she could convince him to destroy the stones. Only then, the truth would come back to her.

"_I will never get my powers in that other reality. Vision will never be born,"_ Wanda thought.

"_But you will have your brother. Sokovia will never be destroyed. And I will have JARVIS. A fair deal, if you ask me."_

"I'll do it," Wanda said, this time out loud. "I'll help you."

"Thank you," Ana said with great relief. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for everything I did to you. I wish we'd met under different circumstances."

"Me, too."

Vision smiled.

Ana turned to Wong again. "Once I split the gravitonium, where am I going to hide the other half?"

"I'll send it to Lady Sigyn's pocket dimension myself. She won't know it's there until you tell her."

Yeah, that was the part Ana would need the Sun Tzu quote.

"Wait a minute… We haven't agreed to anything yet," Yo-yo objected.

"You won't have to." The person Ana had once hated the most was now the one who understood her better than anyone else. With these words, Wanda's red energy waves spread around Zephyr One, where humanity was soon going to make its final, doomed stand.

* * *

Thanos was… exactly as Ana had imagined him to be. Not that she had a particular picture in her head, but he lived up to his reputation.

After the fight, they had locked her into a small, dark room. Soon, Thanos himself entered, still wearing the gauntlet with the six Infinity Stones gleaming on it. She hadn't expected to see him so soon.

"The deed is done, I take it?"

Much to her surprise, he said, "Not yet. I wanted to talk to you first."

"Why?"

When he sat down on the edge of the large and sturdy cot next to her, it creaked and sunk in with his weight. "Because I want you to be my daughter. Not a slave. I want you to share my vision. Just like Gamora once did."

"You want me to think killing half of the universe is actually a good idea? Yeah, that's not going to happen…"

"My planet was called Titan. It was beautiful. Perhaps I'll show you one day… But my people, they were deceived by this beauty. They thought it could last forever. They multiplied, and multiplied, not realizing the sources were finite. I tried to warn them. My words fell on deaf ears. You know how that feels, don't you? You tried to warn your people, too. Against me."

"I wasn't alone."

"What happened to me, I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. You can't imagine it right now, but in time, you'll see what true equilibrium looks like."

His voice was actually soft… and affectionate. Ana couldn't help but wonder if she had a chance to talk him out of this.

"If this is about resources, why not just double them instead?"

"Doubling the resources would only encourage people to breed even faster. That's basic biology, and you know it."

_Daughter_. That word coming from him, the one who had murdered her father, made her want to puke, made her skin crawl in disgust.

He took her blistered left hand, which was the least of her concerns, into his right one, with unnecessarily great caution. "What happened?"

"I tried to steal the Time Stone from the wizard… To destroy it."

He smiled, like this was the exact answer he had hoped to hear. Then, using the Time Stone, he healed it completely. "There. Are you feeling better now?"

"Why did you take me?"

"I want a family."

"Yeah, but why _me_? I'm sure you can find some psycho bitch who doesn't need convincing. Why do you want me? Or Shuri, or Sigyn?"

"They're here to be your sisters. To replace the one you lost."

"What? I don't have any siblings."

"You were going to have one. Your step-mother was pregnant."

Ana was on the verge of a new anxiety attack. _No,_ she thought. _He is lying. _Today had been crazy, yes, but that was just too much.

"Okay," she said, hyperventilating. "First off, Pepper wasn't my 'step-mother.' Never call her that. Secondly, she wasn't pregnant. Dad asked her this morning. She wouldn't have lied to him."

_This morning._ It broke her to think about how naively, blithely the day had started. You would have never guessed it was the day the world was to end.

"She didn't know either."

Ana didn't think he lied. "A sister, huh? That would've been nice," she thought out loud.

"You have two of them now. I don't want you to feel like I stole anything from you."

"You have the Time Stone," she said. "If you really want to help me, can't you bring them back? Can't you bring everyone back? My dad, too?" She got off the cot and went down to one knee. "If you do that, I'll do anything you want. Let them be a happy family, I'll stay with you. I'll be your daughter."

"No," he said firmly. "That would make you a slave, not a daughter."

"How are you planning to make me love you, then? I guess you could use the stones, but that would be brainwashing. It wouldn't be me. Not really. That's not how it works."

"I'm a patient man. You will understand me one day."

"How do you know that?"

"Because this isn't only about what I want. It's also about what you want."

"What the hell are you talking about?" she asked, exasperated. At this point, she just wanted the conversation to end, so that she could go back to mourning everyone she had lost, including her unborn sister.

"Let me show you." He made a fist with the gauntlet. The red gem glowed, and the room changed into a bigger hall with enormous stone walls looming around, which gave her a sense of grandeur. There was a throne in the center of the room, carved out from the same dark gray stone. It was her dad who sat upon it. He was wearing a smaller version of Thanos' gauntlet, with all the six stones in place, but it was made of the same nanites he used for the suits. He looked thoughtful, and much sterner than she had ever seen him before.

The doors opened, and Ana saw herself enter. She had a suit on, but it was plain black instead of blue-and-bronze, and her hair had been braided in some fancy, but practical-looking braids. Vision was walking by her side. His colors were darker, too. He didn't have the Mind Stone on his forehead. Even he seemed much more solemn than normal. Together, they approached the throne, their dark capes bellowing after them.

"So," her dad started. "The rumors were true. The Sovereign have been conspiring against me, after all."

"They have been designing a weapon against you, sir." This was odd, too. Vision would never call him "sir." Only JARVIS did that. Could this be… him?

"It doesn't matter anymore," the other Ana announced confidently. "We broke them. They will never find the audacity to revolt again."

"Were you able to find out who was behind the idea?"

She smirked. Vision, JARVIS, or whoever he was, took another step toward the throne, knelt before it, and placed the bag he had been carrying at his feet. Then he returned to his spot beside Ana.

Her dad didn't bend over to pick up whatever was inside the bag. Instead, he closed his fist, and using the Space Stone, he lifted it. It was the golden head of a man.

"His body is now decorating the walls of their temple," Ana explained. "But his mind, his knowledge is all yours to take."

This time, the Mind Stone started to glow, too. Her dad closed his eyes, and a deep line appeared on his forehead. He was absorbing the knowledge of the dead inventor.

"Ana!" a little girl cried. The patter of her tiny feet echoed in the hall, and she came from somewhere behind the throne. Pepper was right after her, trying to keep up. The cruel smile on Ana's face turned into a warm one upon seeing her. She squatted, spread her arms, and the girl ran into them.

"I missed you," she said, showering her with kisses.

Ana scooped her up and returned to the standing position. "Yeah, I missed you, too."

"Hi, JARVIS," she told the android.

"Hello, Miss Morgan."

When she became certain of who those two were, the real Ana's heart sank. That adorable little girl with dark hair and brown eyes… Was she what Morgan was supposed to be, or just a random image Thanos had conjured to mess with her? Deep down, she knew the answer.

"Welcome home," Pepper greeted them.

She looked gorgeous in that backless blue dress. The same one she had bought herself years ago, as a birthday gift from her boss. This vision was getting ridiculous…

Morgan turned to the throne. The golden head floating in the air didn't seem to bother her at all. "Daddy, can we go play now?"

His face had softened, too. "Morgan," he said sweetly. "Your sister has just returned from a mission. Let her get some rest tonight. Tomorrow, she's all yours, I promise."

"It's okay, Dad," Ana cooed, kissing her back. "I'm never too tired to play with my baby sister."

Morgan giggled, and buried her little face into the crook of Ana's neck. Thanos paused the vision.

"What's this?" Ana asked him.

"Your deepest, darkest desire. The one you're too afraid to admit to even yourself."

"My sister growing up around severed heads?" she yelled. "That's my desire? You're delusional!"

"You want her to be strong, like you. There's no shame in that." He studied the frozen image for a while. "Look at yourself. Ferocity and compassion rarely coexist. That's what makes you such a precious daughter. Stark is brave, but he is not brave enough for you. "

"_Is_?" Ana gasped incredulously. Until now, she had just assumed Thanos had killed him. "Is he alive?"

"Probably, but you have lost him, Ana. Do you really think he'll appreciate what you did here today? No, he will never stop blaming you."

"Good. Because I'll never stop blaming myself."

"Oh, come now, child. We both know, deep down, you're proud of yourself. If your friend had had more self-discipline, you would've created the weapon that could destroy anyone, even me. This is your success, and her failure."

"Is that why you sold her into slavery?"

"I sold her because I knew the Kree would seek retribution. Contrary to popular belief, I prefer to avoid a fight if I can. Daisy is the price I paid for our peace. Stark could never give you what you really wanted. By my side, you will thrive. You will know what true power feels like."

"I don't care. I'm Tony Stark's daughter. I'll always be his daughter. You can't change that. Not even with the Infinity Stones."

He smirked. "Loyalty. Yes, I admire that, too."

When Ana made no comment, he looked at the gauntlet, and said, "I suppose it's time. I won't do it in front of you; I see you're not ready."

He stood up, and made for the door. Before leaving, he added, looking around the room, "Don't worry, daughter, this is only a temporary arrangement. Your living quarters will be much more… fitting."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone is wondering, yes, that was the canon Morgan :') Gamora's deleted scene in IW inspired me for that vision and I really had fun writing it. Hope you liked it, too.


	66. Chapter 66

"He did it," the blue meanie said, stating the obvious. Nebula was her name, he remembered. She and Tony were the only ones left on the desolated planet. Everyone else was gone. Those morons who called themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy, the stupid wizard who had handed Thanos the Time Stone, claiming there was no other way, and the kid… God, the kid. Peter.

_"When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive."_ The way Thanos had said that, it had sounded more like a promise, a reassurance than a threat. Tony wondered how many of the "survivors" would actually survive. Since the massacre was random, there was no way to estimate how big the real apocalypse would be.

It had started out a good day. He and his fianceé were jogging in Central Park, he had even convinced Ana to tag along. Pepper had finally asked her to be the maid of honor, and much to everyone's relief, she had said yes. Things were starting to get better at last. And then, they had seen a spaceship hovering above the city, and everything had gone to hell once again.

He picked up his smashed helmet, and examined the tracker inside. Of course, it had been broken. It wasn't beyond repair, though. He just needed some wires, and scrap metal. There was plenty of both lying around…

"What are you looking for?" Nebula asked.

He took him some time to find his voice again. "I… I need to fix my tracking device."

"No one's coming for us. We should fix that ship instead and get out of here as soon as possible."

"My daughter has the coordinates of this planet. She'll come. In the meantime, I'll make sure we're easier to find."

Nebula made no comment, and he continued his search for the materials. His fingers occasionally went to the sealed wound in his torso, to make sure he wasn't bleeding. He had been so scared when Thanos had stabbed him. Not of death itself, but the idea that Ana might come here, only to find his lifeless, impaled body…

"How do you know your daughter is alive?"

Tony froze on the spot. He could see that she wasn't trying to taunt him or anything, but he gritted his teeth angrily nevertheless. "I just do."

"You love her," she observed, as if she was witnessing a rare phenomenon.

Right, someone had said she was the adopted daughter of Thanos. This girl probably had no idea what an actual father-daughter relationship was supposed to be like. "I do."

"What about that spider boy?"

"Spider-man," he corrected her firmly.

"Was he your son?"

"No. We weren't… related."

Nebula sprang to her feet. "You fix your tracker, I'll fix the ship."

"Deal."

She had taken maybe five steps away from where she had been sitting when a portal opened and Thanos appeared again.

"You," Nebula snarled, and charged at him.

With a lazy, effortless slap, Thanos parried her attack and sent her flying off. He wasn't here for her. He had all the six stones now, and Tony was completely defenseless. Too proud to surrender, he stood as tall as possible, and looked him in the eye. But when Thanos came closer, he realized something was very wrong with the gauntlet. It had been charred, along with his arm. It had to be still functional to some degree, though, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to teleport here. "If you want me to fix _that_, don't bother."

"I want to show you something. Come." His free hand grabbed Tony's arm, and then, they were no longer on Titan. Thanos had brought them onto a spaceship.

"Look," he said softly, gesturing at the window.

Tony looked out and saw the remains of another dead planet. Its condition was much worse than Titan, though. At least Titan was still intact. This one, on the other hand, wasn't. Most of it was gone; only a fragment of crust and some hot magma beneath it had remained. Millions of pieces of tiny rocks were floating around them. If he had to guess, he would say it had been cracked open like an egg by some unnatural force. Hopefully, it was uninhibited when that had happened.

"Why are you showing me this?"

"Oh, Stark… Don't you recognize your own home?"

The cruel question hung in the air for what felt like an eternity. What? Was this… Earth? "No," he said, shaking his head wildly. "No, this is one of your tricks… You're using the Reality Stone on me."

_He's lying_, he reminded himself. Thanos was just playing a sick game to convince him that he wasn't as evil as everyone thought. To prove that he could be much more merciless if he wanted to be. The Earth itself couldn't be gone. That was something beyond even _his_ nightmares.

"This is real. You know it is." He took off the Gauntlet to prove his point, and set it aside.

Thanos was right. Deep down, he knew this wasn't an illusion or anything. He knew what an illusion felt like, thanks to the Maximoff girl. He collapsed on his knees. Everyone he had tried so hard to protect had died a horrible death. Tony had traveled to another freaking planet, in another freaking galaxy, ready to sacrifice his own life, and yet somehow managed to become the only survivor, just as he had feared. Still, he was almost glad that at least Peter wasn't around to see this shit. Almost.

"Why? You said half of humanity would still be alive… You promised!"

"I did. _This_ wasn't me. Your world was already destroyed by the time I came for the Mind Stone. Now we're truly alike. In fact, your story is even more tragic than mine, for this is your own daughter's doing."

At the mention of Ana, Tony found the strength to get back on his feet. "Leave her out of this, or I swear I'll find a way to kill you this time."

"Oh, but it was _you_ who brought her into this. She was coming to Titan with you, wasn't she? But you sent her back, told her to warn the others against me. Of course, she knew that wasn't going to be enough. You both did. So, she did something no one else was brave enough to do. She turned that Inhuman friend of hers into a weapon that could stop me. It would've worked, if they hadn't accidentally destroyed the planet first. Ana tried again and again, until she realized she had to give up to break the loop. That's when I came."

"What loop?" he forced himself to ask. He had always feared that the world would tear Ana apart, not the other way around. But it was what had happened. Literally. He had to know. He had to know what exactly had gone wrong.

"It doesn't matter anymore. Do you know what the Kree call her, the Inhuman?"

"I don't know, and I don't care."

"The Destroyer of Worlds," Thanos answered his own question.

Tony remembered the famous words of J. Robert Oppenheimer, spoken after witnessing an atomic bomb test. _"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."_ In fact, Tony knew his dad had been there with Oppenheimer during the Trinity test. He must have heard those words first-hand. No doubt there was some tragic irony here.

And then, there was another saying, not as famous as Oppenheimer's, but no less true: _"You Starks don't know the difference between saving the world and destroying it."_ The Maximoff girl had turned out to be right, after all.

"Fools," Thanos went on. "Daisy Johnson was nothing but a tool, and tools are… disposable. Nevertheless, she was what the Kree wanted, so I gave her to them. Let them flaunt themselves."

"Where's Ana?" Judging by the way Thanos spoke, Ana was alive. Tony focused on that thought. He had to find her and get far, far away from Thanos. Where they would go, he didn't know. They would figure something out.

"You've proven me wrong. I didn't think you'd forgive her so easily."

"She's my daughter."

"She killed your woman, too," Thanos reminded.

He tried very hard not to picture Pepper getting swallowed by a wave of magma, or her frozen dead body floating in space. _And I killed JARVIS. She forgave me for that._

Thanos gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You should be proud, Stark. For you fathered Death herself, the true Destroyer of Worlds."

_Screw you_, Tony wanted to say, but for once, he managed to keep his big mouth shut. He had a feeling that Ana was somewhere on this ship. He had to wait until Thanos was distracted somehow, then go find her. After that… well, they were going to have to improvise.

"The trouble is," Thanos went on. "You don't deserve her. She can never realize her destiny by your side. That's why I adopted her. She reminds me of my Gamora."

Whatever self-restraint Tony had left, he lost it upon hearing this. "You did WHAT?"

The bug girl must have been right, then. Thanos was mourning, in his own twisted way. In his grief, he was somehow under the impression that Ana could replace this Gamora. Why the hell had this bastard killed his daughter in the first place if it was going to leave him so messed up? Tony didn't know. All he knew was he couldn't leave Ana with such a maniac. The blue robot lady had said Gamora was her sister, meaning… She was Thanos' daughter, too. Damn. If this son of a bitch tried to turn Ana into anything like that…

No. He had to find a way out, a way to cut the wire, one last time. His instincts were still screaming at him to protect her at any cost; under normal circumstances, he would gladly lay down on the wire for her, but with the Earth gone, that self-sacrificing attitude was no longer an option. He couldn't leave her alone. Either they were going to survive together, or not at all.

Thanos seemed to be enjoying this, but the mental torment session they were having came to an abrupt end when a bright, blinding golden light flooded the ship, and the vessel started rocking wildly. Thanos rushed to grab the gauntlet, and Tony lost no time escaping.

He was calling Ana's name, again and again, as he ran through the narrow hallways. The damn ship was huge. He occasionally came across Chitauri soldiers, but they paid him no attention. Maybe they were too busy with the enemy attacking the ship, or maybe Thanos had given them orders not to touch Tony. The Titan didn't seem like he was done with him. Either way, the Chitauri were just ignoring him for the time being.

He was in yet another hallway, banging on each door he passed by, when one of them finally swung open and he came face to face with Ana. She had gone pale, so pale that she almost looked translucent. She seemed to have recognized him, but she was just… not all there.

"Honey?" he asked, and clasped an arm around her waist, because she could barely stand, and the ship was still swaying. He could hear blasts being shot in the distance. It was good to know there was someone out there, willing to fight a Thanos who had all the six Infinity Stones. Maybe Ana had an idea who they were. "Do you know what's going on here?"

She shook her head frantically.

The housing unit wasn't on her chest. "Where's your suit?"

"Thanos took it." Her voice was barely audible.

"Okay… We gotta move. Come on."

She stayed put. "Dad!"

"Yes, baby girl?"

"I—I—I," she stuttered. "I m—ade a—a t—terrible m—mistake. E—everyone's d—dead…"

"Yeah, I know. We'll talk about it."

She still wasn't moving, so Tony just dragged her with him. This was their only chance. "Come on, baby girl. Try to keep up."

He was tired. His legs ached with each step he took. His injury sent searing waves of pain through his body with each breath. But he ignored it and kept moving.

_Come on, Tony. Cut the wire one last time._

They actually made it. They found one of those ring-shaped ships Thanos' minions used. Tony had some experience with the controls, but it wasn't going to be easy without their suits, and a wizard's help. And this time, they couldn't afford to damage the ship either. They had to be careful with it. It would be all they had for a time.

"Ana, honey… I need your help with this."

"I can't. I shouldn't… If I make another mistake—"

"You won't be making any mistakes. Just put your arm here, and—" When she didn't, he placed her arm into the steering himself and locked it. "There you go. Now, we just hit the jackpot with this ship, so let's not screw it up, okay?"

"Okay," she mumbled idly.

"That's my girl. You just do as I say, I'll get us out of here."

They ignited the engines, and managed to detach from the main ship. They were leaving it, and their destroyed home planet behind, fast. It was probably for the best. Now, they had to find a safe place.

"Good job," he said to cheer her up, freeing her arm. "Now, can you think of anywhere we can go?"

"No…"

"Come on, kid. If we stay here, Thanos will find us. If we just drift across space aimlessly, we'll run out of resources. We need oxygen, food, water… God, is there even any food here? Anyway, the point is, we need a place where we can lay low, at least for a while. So, think! Please!"

"We can go to the Skrulls, I think. Sigyn once said they knew us."

"Good. How do we find these Skrulls?"

"I memorized the coordinates, in case of an emergency. First, we need to find a Jump Point."

"Let's find a Jump Point."

Ana crossed to the control panel. There were those unfamiliar symbols on the screen again, but Ana pushed a few buttons this time and they turned into Unicode. "The nearest one is six hours away."

"Perfect."

"Shall I set the coordinates?" she asked, hesitant.

"By all means."

She did. "It's done."

Now, they could talk. "Come. Let's do some stargazing. It's not every day we get a view like this."


	67. Chapter 67

Tony was sitting on the floor, his legs stretched, one shoulder pressed against the huge windshield. Ana was resting her head on the other one. He didn't ask her what the hell had happened to the Earth. She would tell him everything when she was ready. For now, he just wanted her to know she was still his daughter, that he would never blame her for this. He didn't know what Thanos might have told her, what ideas he might have put into her head to alienate her from him. Tony was afraid to say anything that might prove the bastard right.

"Your hand's healed," he observed.

"Thanos did it. With the Time Stone."

He was both relieved by the fact that Thanos had chosen to heal her instead of hurting her, and frustrated at his own incompetence. He took the hand and pressed it against his lips, wondering why he had to be born as a feeble human, while there were so many big, strong, scary, and advanced species out there.

"Why is he interested in you like this?"

"I murdered billions. He thinks that's cute." She chuckled bitterly.

_That sick bastard…_

"I did as you said, " she started. Something in her voice gave Tony the impression that he was right to be afraid. Thanos had led her to believe that Tony would hate her for this. "I returned to Earth. I went to the Compound. Vision had been attacked, so they were already there. I asked Wanda to restore my memories. She did. Turned out I'd indeed met the Ancient One, Strange's teacher, in Hell. She'd confirmed my theory about the Nexus."

"Is that all?" he asked, surprised. He had expected a more complicated story, after all that fuss.

"Yeah. SHIELD and the Ghost Rider decided to wipe my memories because they were afraid I'd use the Darkhold to create the Nexus. Anyway, after that, I left to meet SHIELD. The coordinates Daisy sent me, they were of a HYDRA facility."

"What?"

"At first, I thought I was lured into a trap, but I was wrong. There was this General Hale. She was an undercover HYDRA operative in Air Force."

"Shit…"

"Yeah, but she knew about Thanos. It's a long story. But she and Coulson had been working together for months. There was an Infusion Chamber, designed by one of the HYDRA scientists. They called the whole thing Project Destroyer of Worlds. And they had the gravitonium. It was meant for Hale's daughter, but from what I gathered, she was already a bit unstable, and even 8% of the gravitonium was enough to drive her crazy. Fitz-Simmons had had to put her under. But Daisy thought she could handle it. We were discussing the option when it happened."

"What happened?"

"Hale had made a deal with the Confederacy. An intergalactic organization formed by 6 different races. They were hoping to take over whatever was left of Earth once Thanos was done with it, so I had to take care of them, arrange a quick and bloody _coup_. And Fitz was holding JARVIS hostage, so…"

"Wait, what?"

"He wasn't really himself. He'd developed an alter ego during his time in the Framework. And JARVIS was in the Framework, too. Fitz had salvaged the codes. He wanted me to take over the Confederacy and use it against Thanos. He was going to give them to me if I succeeded. Next thing I know, I was cutting off heads and ripping out spines…"

"Oh, kid…" Damn, he should have just let her come to Titan with him.

"It actually worked. But when I returned, there was another me and Daisy. From the future. They told us to go to Wakanda. And my future self gave me 10 grams of gravitonium before we left. Just enough for one trip back in time."

She didn't have to say anything else. Tony understood. "You created a time loop…"

"After we lost, after Thanos killed everyone except me, Daisy, and Shuri, and ripped the Mind Stone from Vision's head, I surrendered. I gave him the gravitonium, asked him to destroy it. He did. It was the surest way to break the loop."

"Good thinking."

She looked at him, puzzled. "Are you sure?"

"At least you broke the loop. We're free."

"So, yeah, this is how I screwed the pooch… What happened to _you_?"

He told her everything, too. How they had saved the wizard, met the Guardians of the Galaxy, how Strange looked into the possible outcomes and seen only one in which they won in 14,600,005 different ones, how they all fought Thanos, how he stabbed Tony, and Strange gave up the Time Stone to save him, and then how everyone just got dusted one by one, except for him and Nebula. How Peter died in his arms, begging him for help.

"Let me see that wound," she said once he was finished. Without a word, he unzipped the sweatshirt. The wound was still sealed, but it didn't look good. It was swelling, the redness around it was spreading, and pus was leaking from it.

"Dad, you need antibiotics…"

Well, at least Ana had returned to her old self.

"Or, we can cauterize it," he suggested. He wasn't looking forward to that, but he couldn't risk dying of infection either. _Together, or not at all._

"I'll take a look around. You try not to move too much."

He nodded, and she went to find something they could use for the cauterization.

Looking into the literally infinite void stretching before him, he tried not to think about what he could have done differently to stop this from happening. That was useless now. Instead, he had to come up with a plan for the future. He was a futurist, right?

_Step 1: Don't let the infection kill you._

_Step 2: Don't let the guilt kill Ana._

_Step 3: ?_

There was no Step 3. They would be lucky if these Skrulls let them take refuge in their world. Which would be a huge risk on their part, because Thanos would be looking for them. Why would they take such a risk for two humans they barely knew? So, yeah, if they were lucky, they would spend the rest of their lives hiding from Thanos, trying to make themselves useful for the Skrulls. If not, they would have to find another place to hide.

Ana returned with two metal sticks, a bunch of wires, and a bottle of clear liquid.

"Is that water?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Maybe we should save it for drinking, kid. Just in case we take a wrong turn or something."

"Do you realize how lucky we are to find a sealed bottle of water here? It's sterile liquid; we should use it to clean the wound. And we won't take a wrong turn. I know what I'm doing."

"That's the spirit…"

"I'm going to have to remove the seal," she said apologetically. "I'll try to make it as painless as possible."

"No problem."

Taking pain was the one thing he could do right. He shifted to press his back against the glass, and braced himself. Ana used some of the water to clean her hands, and got to work. Tony managed to keep his face impassive by pursing his lips, but eventually a hiss escaped. She stopped immediately.

"I'm sorry, Dad… Damn, I should've got that medical degree."

"You're doing good. At least it's better than getting stabbed." He shivered when he remembered the feeling of the blade inside his body. Getting impaled sucked.

"I hate that purple bastard… It's done." She had pulled off the last bit of the seal.

She washed the wound with water. This part actually felt soothing on the tender skin. But he wasn't going to enjoy what was next. Ana covered the ends of the sticks with small pieces of cloth she had cut from her own sweatshirt, and attached the wires to them. "I'm going to need your Arc Reactor."

He had figured that much. He removed the Reactor so that she could connect the wires to it. The DIY electrocauter looked a bit scary, to be honest. At least it was in his daughter's hands.

"Do you think he can find us?" he asked once the searing pain started, mainly to distract himself.

"He has the Infinity Stones, Dad. I'm pretty sure he can do whatever he the hell he wants."

"What do you know about these Skrulls?"

"I know they're shapeshifters. They're ancient enemies with the Kree. Which is good, because the Kree probably want my head on a spike by now. Taking over the Confederacy was messy."

"Ana? What did you do?"

"What I had to do. I played some mind games to determine who was the most powerful member. It turned out to be Taryan Kasius. A Kree aristocrat, sort of. The Kasius family is one of the most ancient and respected families in Kree history."

"Hmm. And what did you… Oww!" He had to groan when Ana's trembling fingers pressed the sticks a bit harder.

She immediately withdrew her hand. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Go on. And tell me what happened to this Taryan Kasius. I need the whole picture here, kid. You know you can tell me anything, right? I won't judge."

She took a deep breath to steady her hand, then continued. It hurt when the scorching metal touched the skin again, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. "I chopped his head off," she said lightly.

"Okay."

"When his guards attacked me to avenge him, I killed them, too. I ripped out the last one's spine. I had to make an example of them."

"Yeah, of course."_ God, I left her alone for, like, 5 hours…_ No, he shouldn't judge her. That was what Thanos wanted him to do.

"I sent their forces to Titan, to help you. But I guess they never came?"

"No, but Thanos didn't exactly linger."

"I enjoyed it, Dad. I made them kneel before me. I told them to call me Death. And I loved it. Am I a monster?"

"No… Ouch!"

"Sorry." She continued working with one hand while stroking his damp hair with the other. "Hang in there, Dad. Almost done."

Yeah, nothing in the universe could convince him that she was a monster. She had too much compassion for that, even if it was reserved only for him. He took a few deep breaths, and after that, it was done, indeed.

"Thanks, kid."

She gave him the Arc Reactor back, and pushed everything else aside. "There's one more thing you have to know, Dad."

"Tell me."

"Pepper, she… I don't know how to say this…"

"Just say it, kid. It's just us now."

"She was pregnant."

Tony froze. He knew Ana wouldn't lie to him, but… He couldn't believe his ears either. "But she said…"

"She didn't know either. Thanos told me."

"Ana, he's not the most reliable source of information."

"He's not a liar either."

It was true. They had known him for less than a day, yes, but this had been a very, very long day, the longest day ever, and he had never lied to them. He didn't know how to feel. Losing Pepper was enough to crush his soul, he didn't know how he was supposed to live without her, but he was remaining strong because he was a dad to a brilliant, beautiful, but unfortunate and misunderstood young lady, and this was what dads did. They remained strong for their kids.

But losing a pregnant Pepper? Yeah, that was a bit too much.

"It was a girl. He showed me." Ana broke into sobs. So did he. Their stolen ship flew across the stars, taking them to that Jump Point, and they just cried in each other's arms, for who knew how long.

When they stilled, he asked, "What did she look like?"

"She was beautiful. She looked like us. Dark hair, brown eyes… But she looked like Pepper, too, I guess. And she was happy. We all were. You were… You were like Thanos, and we were happy. He said it was my deepest, darkest desire. Gosh, I deserve to rot in hell."

"No, don't say that!"

"Dad, I killed billions, my unborn sister among them!"

"And I created Ultron! I was lucky to have a team to clean up my mess. You were on your own. And you didn't kill anybody. We're going to fix this."

He had an idea. It was insane, but doable. Funny, he didn't know anything about that little girl who would be his Morgan, but there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her. He already loved her as much as he loved Ana.

She was losing it again, so he cupped her face in his hands, and made her look him in the eye. "The EPR Paradox, Ana! We're going to use that to bring everyone back! We can't reverse time, but we can push it through things, right? Even a planet. So, yeah, that's exactly what we're going to do. We're going build a giant Quantum Tunnel, and pull this shit off!"

A look of understanding crossed her face—she understood quantum mechanics better than he did, after all—but she remained silent.

"Honey? Talk to me. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing… Just all those spatial paradoxes we're going to cause."

"Well, it can't be worse than this," he said, and when he saw the look on her face, he quickly added, "Which is, of course, not your fault."

"How are we going to do it? Look around you, Dad. We're not rich anymore! We can't just build whatever we want in our basement! We don't even have a basement!"

"We have this ship. We're capitalists, this is going to be our capital. We'll find a place to settle, invest, invent, make another fortune. That's what we do."

"It's Thanos' ship; no one in their right mind would buy it."

"Then we salvage it into parts. Sell them separately."

"Yeah, that might work."

"Do you know how to get into the alien black market?"

"No."

"Leave that to me, then. I'll figure something out."

"Can it really work, Dad?" she asked, half-hopeful, half-skeptical.

"It will work. I'll make it work, I swear. But I need you, kid, now more than ever. I can't do this without you. We're a great team. There's nothing we can't do if we stick together."

"I'm here, Dad. And I'd do anything to get Pepper and Morgan back, but… I'm so tired right now."

"That's okay. Come here." He pulled her to his chest. She nestled into him, like she used to do when she was a little girl, but careful not to touch the newly cauterized area. "Get some sleep. I got you."

"I don't want to sleep."

He knew. He didn't want to sleep either. They had a solid plan now, a direction, but they didn't know if Thanos was still out there. If he was, he would find them. And kill them. They didn't want to sleep because a part of them didn't want to lose any of this borrowed time.

"Dad?"

"Mm?"

"Do you think there's an afterlife?"

"24 hours ago, I'd say no, because afterlife required soul, and I didn't believe in souls, but now there's a Soul Stone, so…"

His thought process made her chuckle, which was a relief, but he decided to add a serious answer, just in case.

"Look, if things don't go as planned, and there is an afterlife… Just don't be scared if you end up in a weird place by yourself. I'll come find you. I'll always find you, wherever you are."

"Maybe I'll find you first."

"Yeah, that's more likely."

He was smoothing her hair to help her relax when he saw the familiar blue ripple in the air, and cursed. He cursed with every swear word there was. Thanos appeared right in front of them.

He heard Ana wince. "No… No, no, no…"

Tony knew he didn't stand a chance against Thanos. The guy had wiped his face with a moon, even when Tony had a fully functioning suit. So, he decided to use his hands to comfort his daughter instead. Everybody died alone, true, but he wanted to ease her passage as much as he could. He pressed her head against his chest, so that she wouldn't see Thanos' face. He held her as tightly as he could without hurting her. And Ana held onto him, just like Peter had not very long ago.

"It's okay, baby girl. I'm right here."

There was still a million more things he wanted to tell her, but no time. He didn't speak to Thanos. If he were alone, he would. He would make some witty comeback, or at least give a dirty, defiant glance before going down. But Ana was here, too, so he swallowed his damn pride and kept his head down, lest he pissed the Mad Titan off and ruined their chances of getting a quick, merciful death.

But instead of killing them, Thanos simply tore her away from Tony's arms. Then he teleported them back to his ship.


	68. Chapter 68

It was done. It had cost everything, but the universe had been balanced.

This wasn't the aftermath Thanos had dreamt of. He had dreamt of a quiet celebration in the Garden. Smiling at the sunrise, with Gamora standing beside him, proud of her father. Of course, that was before discovering the Soul Stone demanded a sacrifice.

After everything he had done, everything he had lost, Thanos believed he deserved a reward. The deed itself didn't count; it was merely his duty. What he wanted was to start anew, with a new family.

He had adopted the Terran princess and the half-Asgardian because he believed them to be useful. He hadn't thought anyone could replace Gamora, not until he had traveled to Earth and found it destroyed, by a Terran girl who was building a weapon to stop him. No, who was turning her closest friend into a weapon to stop him. The biggest resistance had come from the least expected of worlds.

So much potential… Wasted on this weakling, Stark. Thanos decided to take it as a sign that the universe had rewarded him with a new daughter.

"Back on Titan, I respected you," he told Stark. "I respected you, the Terran who destroyed my army, until I met your daughter. Now, you disgust me."

"_Sounds more like jealousy than disgust,"_ Stark wanted to say, but he was too afraid to say it. He didn't know Thanos was reading his mind.

"Why would I envy you, Stark? Ana has the willpower to destroy worlds, put arrogant leaders to their place, and what do you teach her? To be a coward!"

Thanos tore the man's shirt open, snatched the glowing device on his chest, the one that powered his armor, and crushed it in his palm. He deliberately didn't use the stones to destroy it, to show how easily the source of his power could be taken from him. He then ordered the Chitauri to prepare him for the torture. They removed his torn shirt completely, his shoes, too, and suspended him in the air above the platform. They were much more careful now, Thanos noticed, for they didn't want to share the same fate with the soldier Nebula had killed during her own escape.

"No!" Ana, who was being restrained by two other soldiers, cried. With his gesture, they released her. He wanted to see what she was going to do. But to his displeasure, she came to beg him on her knees. "I'll do anything. Just let him go."

"Asking for mercy? Now you disappoint me, child. Nevertheless, this is _his_ test, not yours. He doesn't have to suffer at all. All he needs to do is to disown you. Give up on her, Stark, and you're free to go."

"Bite me," was the Terran's reply. Thanos was expecting this. Stark didn't know what pain, true pain, was like. He was about to find out.

Thanos closed his fists, and using all the six stones, he inflicted him with the ultimate agony. The Space Stone slowly pulled his body apart, the Power Stone burned his flesh, the Soul Stone drained his resilience, the Mind and Reality Stones amplified the physical pain with illusions, and the Time Stone froze his body in time so that he couldn't die. Wiping out half of the universe had taken a toll on Thanos' body, but torturing one man was easier. There was a slight ache in his arm, but that was nothing he couldn't handle.

For one minute, Stark screamed, Ana kept begging on her knees, and when Thanos stopped, the room went quiet.

On the surface, Iron Man was unharmed, but his eyes told a different story. They were the eyes of a broken man. "Well?" Thanos asked expectantly.

"S—screw you…"

"Dad, just tell him what he wants to hear," Ana pleaded.

"I can't… I can't leave you with doubt."

"I won't have any doubts, I promise. I know how much you love me. I always have. Please."

"No," he whispered hoarsely.

Thanos closed his fist again, and this time, he tortured him for 10 minutes. By the time it was finished, the response was similar: "Go to hell."

He kept torturing. 30 minutes, 1 hour, 5 hours straight. It made no difference. Ana had cried so much that she could now barely open her swollen eyes, and that seemed to be Stark's only regret. And Thanos was a patient man, but the ache in his arm was getting worse. He wanted his new daughter to see the man she had served all her life didn't deserve her, but this method was only proving Stark's strength. It was one of the rare times Thanos underestimated an opponent. He needed a new angle.

"It's okay, baby girl. It's fine, really. Don't cry." The Terran was actually even smiling.

It made Ana cry even harder.

Thanos gently wiped away her tears with his thumb. "I understand, Ana. We always want what's best for our favorite people. He is your favorite person in the universe. But are you his? Are you sure he wouldn't exchange you for the Earth?"

She looked at him incredulously, almost with hope. She must have understood what he was going to offer. Yes, she would sacrifice herself for her home planet, but would Stark sacrifice her? Thanos turned to him.

"I can use the Time Stone to undo the accident. I can bring everybody back. Your friends, your woman, your unborn child… I'll even make an exception for that insect boy on Titan. The one the stones chose to erase from existence. He won't remember what it was like, dying in your arms." Thanos had seen it in his memories, how hard it had been for him to lose that boy.

"Spiders are not insects, you idiot," he spoke with great difficulty. "They're arachnids."

"Once your world is restored, I'll leave it untouched. I won't wipe out half of the population. You can keep suffering while other planets thrive." He intended to keep even this promise. What was one planet, in the whole universe?

For the first time, he saw a hint of temptation on Stark's face, and decided to use the Mind Stone to see his thought process. The man was pondering if that was why the wizard had given up the Time Stone to save his life. He had looked into the future before Thanos' arrival, and seen only one in which they would triumph. Thanos was now angry with himself. He should have known.

"Do it, Dad. You have a chance to save everyone. I'll be okay. Thanos won't hurt me."

"It's your destiny, Stark. Your duty. Strange saved your life so that you can save your planet."

Thanos was now hopeful. After all, he had given up on his beloved Gamora for a similar reason. Stark was going to have to make the same choice. And Ana didn't even have to die. On the contrary, she was going to have a better life. "I give you my word, Stark. I'll never lay a finger on her. I'll give her a life you never can."

He looked at her. "No, kid. _We_ will save the world. Together."

Stark's obduracy was intriguing at first, but now, it was getting annoying. "How, Stark? You're going to die here."

"Maybe. Maybe not. But I'm not giving up on her."

Using the Mind Stone, Thanos decided to look deeper. He wanted to understand why he was wrong about this human. He saw his first grief; the death of his parents. He had thought he had nothing, no one, just like Thanos had after Titan's destruction. Then he had found Ana, just like Thanos had found Gamora.

Then he saw a man. Not Stark's father, no. But Stark still loved and respected him like a father. Edwin Jarvis was his name. _"If you give up on her, one day you'll regret it, Mr. Stark. I know you will."_ These words had been echoing in his head during the torture.

Stark had lost Edwin Jarvis, too. He saw him at his funeral, with a much younger Ana in his arms. He was weeping for his loss. Ana wiped those tears away with her hands. _"Dadda, no."_

He saw Stark half-asleep in his garage, one of his most favorite places in the world, with memories of the previous night's revels, but they had left them sick now, and for some reason, he was sad. Very sad. But then, Ana approached him (she was six years old then), with a glass of water and an Alka-Seltzer tablet (a cure for his sickness). He was the happiest man in the world again.

He saw him travel around Terra as the Merchant of Death, being worshiped by his admirers and hated by his enemies. He enjoyed the fame, the power, the attention, the respect, and the fear. Not those things themselves, but the way they dulled the pain his father had caused. But his favorite part was returning from these travels to his abode in Malibu, and being greeted by his little girl, with a beautiful smile and warm hug every time. Only then, the pain would truly go away. Thanos understood. That was how he would feel every time he returned to Gamora after a battle, until Gamora was old enough to be sent off to fight those battles for him.

And then one day, Gamora had left him for good. She had abandoned his family for the Guardians of the Galaxy. He looked into Stark's mind to find such pain, but there was none. Ana had never left him for anyone. Even when she was away, it was to fight his battles.

"_Get the hell out of my head, asshole!"_

Thanos smirked. Stark guarded these memories jealously. _"She was there for you when no one else was. She never abandoned you. That's why you love her so much."_

"_I love her because she's my daughter. MY daughter, you got it?"_

"_Your daughter, you say, but what did you give her in return?"_

He saw Stark sending Ana to a school far away from Malibu when she was 12. He had hated it, regretted it, but he had done it anyway, and he had broken Ana's trust. But Ana hadn't stopped trying to please him. She had applied to MIT, and become the most successful student of her time, just like he had. But they had grown apart from each other in those five years. Five years wasn't a short period of time for Terrans.

"_She never let you down. But you let her down."_

"_I did," _he admitted his shame. Apparently, his biggest regret was enough to break his spirit.

He saw their reunion after Stark's captivity. He saw the earlier suits he had built (they wouldn't have stood a chance against Thanos and his forces). Stark was proud of himself, but Ana was afraid. She was always afraid.

"_You scared her so much, just to be worshiped as a hero… Was it worth it?"_

"_It wasn't."_

Then he saw JARVIS. A formless minion who had fancied Ana. _"Really, Stark? You believed a SERVANT was worthy of your daughter's heart? You gave them your blessing instead of punishing him for his insolence?"_

"_JARVIS was no servant. He fought Ultron. He was more of a hero than I could ever be. And he made her happy."_

Now, Ultron was interesting. Stark had taken the consciousness Thanos had put into the Scepter as a safeguard, and turned it into something else. Ultron had killed Ana's beloved. And then, Ana had wielded the Scepter… That alone was proof of her mental resilience. If she had been weak of mind, the Mind Stone would have destroyed her. Once again, Stark was oblivious to Ana's potential.

"_That he did,"_ Thanos had to agree. _"And when your friends murdered him in front of her eyes, you did nothing. You were too scared to start a war… Until you discovered the soldier's secret."_

"_True."_

"_You're weak."_

"_I am."_

"_And a hypocrite."_

"_Yes."_

"_Did she not suffer because of you?"_

"_She suffered too much."_

"_You admit she deserves a better father."_

"_She deserves the best of everything."_

"_Then you know what to do."_

"_No."_

"_Damn you, Stark!"_

At that moment, Thanos had to withdraw from his mind. The pain had become too much. He had been using the Mind Stone for too long. He didn't want them to see his weakness.

"Attempt to free him, and he dies," he warned Ana, and stormed out of the torture chamber. It was time to visit another one of his new daughters.

Sigyn had been locked in her quarters since the destruction of the Asgardian refugee ship. He knew her healing skills were legendary. And he had spared her sister, so her gratitude was expected. But when he entered her quarters, she gave him a resentful look.

"Daughter, you forget Sif is alive by my mercy."

"I did as you asked. I chose her life over my husband's. I killed Loki with my own hands, and agreed to be your daughter. I never promised to be a loving one. That wasn't a part of our agreement. So, don't expect me to hide my true feelings from you."

Her wit made Thanos smirk. "Loki was a disappointment from the start. You, on the other hand… I expect a lot more from you."

"What do you want?"

"Right now, I want you to heal my hand."

He sat down next to her, removed the gauntlet, and showed her his charred hand.

"Keep using the stones recklessly, and you'll die." It sounded both like a warning and a wish at the same time, but she cast her healing spell nevertheless. The golden glow wasn't improving the scorched look, but it was easing the pain. Not that Thanos complained. This was a scar he was hoping to wear proudly for the rest of his life. A reminder of the terrible sacrifices he had made for the universe.

"Thank you, daughter," he said once she was finished.

"If you use the gauntlet again, I might not be able to help you."

"Noted. Now, I want you to go meet one of your sisters."

"My sisters?"

"I adopted Shuri and Ana as well. Though Ana and her former father turned out to be more challenging than I'd thought. You know them well… Can you tell me how to break them apart?"

Her blue eyes widened in panic. "What did you do to the Starks?"

"I just want Ana to see the truth," he said patiently. "That with the right guidance, she will be much more powerful than she can ever imagine."

Sigyn quickly composed herself. "You're right, I know them well. Ana will never serve you, no matter what you do. If you're not going to spare them, at least give them a dignified death. After everything they've done for Midgard, they deserve that much."

"There's no Midgard. Ana destroyed it."

She blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Shuri can tell you how it happened… And you're lying. You're not telling me to give them a dignified death because Ana is intractable. It is because you hope to send them to Valhalla with your prayers. I don't need the Mind Stone to see that. But your lie might prove quite useful. We shall see…"

"What are you going to do?" she asked, aghast.

Thanos didn't reply. He put the gauntlet back on, walked out of the chamber, and told the Chitauri guards at the door to take her to Shuri's room. Thanos himself returned to the torture chamber. Stark was still suspended in the air, Ana was trying to comfort him by stroking his cheek.

He had finally come to realize there was only one way to break the bond between these two. To humiliate Stark. Completely strip him of any dignity. Reduce him to nothing.

"You're an unruly nuisance, Stark, I'll give you that," Thanos said, and released the invisible strings that had been holding him. Stark dropped to the floor face down, hard, despite Ana's efforts to catch him. As he gasped in pain, she helped him sit up.

"I've finally decided what to do with you. The Chitauri have been serving me loyally for a long time. Six years ago, when Loki was given the Scepter, they were promised a taste of human flesh. Now, the survivors shall be rewarded with the flesh of the human who annihilated their kin."

Ana sprang to her feet, and walked up to Thanos. "No! You want a destroyer? Fine, I'll be the destroyer you want. But if you do this, I swear you'll be the next thing I destroy!"

He smiled. Finally, she had stopped that pathetic mewling and revealed her true nature. "There she is. Death."

On his mark, every Chitauri soldier who wasn't on guard duty gathered in the torture chamber. Ana was preparing to fight them—with her bare hands, which was quite impressive—so Thanos had to pull her away from the platform himself and keep one arm locked around her. She was kicking, punching, scratching, even biting him relentlessly.

"Ana, look at me," Stark said, and only then, her frantic struggling ceased. "It's okay. I'm grateful for everything, too."

The Terran was smiling bravely, but it wasn't going to make his fate any less gruesome. The Chitauri was waiting for their master's permission to start. He gave it to them with a single nod, and their feast began.

Ana screamed, of course, and the man who had sired her screamed even louder as his flesh was consumed. Thanos knew most humans would pass out at the mere sight. They had sensitive, feeble natures. But Ana didn't. Thanos ordered her to watch, so she did, until the very end, without even blinking, until the Chitauri retreated and there was nothing but a pile of bloody bones left on the platform. She wasn't crying anymore. She was still.

"Look," Thanos said, pointing at the bones. "_This_ was the man you worshiped like a god… Do you still think he was a god?"

"No."

Sigyn had advised him against using the Infinity Stones, but Thanos took a risk and used the Mind Stone to see if Ana was telling the truth. She was. She felt no connection to Stark anymore, even though she didn't understand how it was possible. However, he had one more trial for her. He took her to another torture chamber, where Thor was being kept.

The Asgardian wasn't suspended in the air, but was on his knees. An even more humiliating position for a former king, Thanos thought. His weapon, the Stormbreaker, was lying in the corner behind him. Thanos had made a mental note to kill Eitri for this betrayal.

Thor, and the Terran named Carol Danvers were the ones who had attacked the ship while Thanos was dealing with Stark. He had killed the latter himself, but left Thor alive for Ana.

"Ana?" Thor gasped, struggling against his chains. Interesting. Even though he had killed her beloved, he cared about her. Considered her family.

Thanos smirked. "I believe you two have unfinished business…"

Thor ignored him. "Ana, where's your father? Where's Tony?"

"I killed him," Thanos gloated.

"You bastard…"

"He deserved it," Ana said. "He was weak."

Thor looked at her with incredulity. "What the… What did you do to her?"

"He showed me the truth."

"Ana, listen to me. This isn't you. This isn't you, okay? Thanos could throw you into the fires of Muspelheim, you still wouldn't say that about Tony! Not with your own free will! He's using the Mind Stone on you, snap out of it!"

Thanos went to pick up the Stormbreaker, and placed it into Ana's hands. If she could wield the Scepter, she could wield this weapon, too, without going mad. "I'm offering you something Stark never could: Justice. Avenge your beloved as you see fit, daughter."

Ana smiled at him with gratitude. Then she approached Thor.

"Ana," he said. "I'm not going to beg you for my life. I'm not afraid of death. Why would I be? I lost my mother, my father, my brother, my friends… My sister massacred my people. And the survivors? Thanos killed half of them. I couldn't save them. I know I deserve to die. But I'm begging you, don't lose your chance to avenge your dad. Set me free, and let's kill this son of a bitch together… or die trying. If we succeed, kill me anyway. I won't fight you. And if we fail, we'll go to Valhalla. I'm sure Tony is waiting for you there."

Ana remained unswayed. "When you killed JARVIS, I told you I'd never stop looking for a way to become more powerful than you, and when I found it, I wouldn't hold back. I don't make empty promises."

And she cut the Asgardian in half with his own weapon.

Finally, they could go to the Garden now.


	69. Chapter 69

The first uninvited guest of the Garden was Nebula. The Lumphomoid had snuck into the cottage two weeks after the Decimation, while Ana was lying awake in her bed. She had seen a shadow and gone to check it out. To her surprise, Nebula had recognized her immediately, called her "Stark's daughter." Ana had lied, and said yes. She had lured her into Thanos' room, and when Nebula was about to kill him, Ana had stabbed her in the eye, with the collapsable, double-edged dagger Thanos had given her. She knew it once belonged to Gamora. The noises had woken Thanos up, of course, and he had seen Ana's handiwork.

She didn't know why she was doing this. She remembered Tony Stark, she remembered how much she had loved him, but that love didn't mean anything to her anymore. She didn't know what had happened to it. It was just a hollow memory. She felt like a puppet whose strings were being pulled by an unknown master. Perhaps this was what madness felt like. Or, Shuri and Sigyn were right. She was an opportunist. A spineless, shameless opportunist who wanted to become the heiress to the most powerful one around. Back in simpler times, that one was Tony Stark. Now it was Thanos. It didn't bother her. She was happy to be Thanos' favorite daughter. He wasn't as evil as everyone thought he was. He was even kind enough to give Nebula a grave, for example.

"Perhaps I was too harsh on her," he said regretfully once he was done burying her. "After all, she was loyal. Not to me, but to her sister."

"She made her choice."

"And you made yours. Thank you, daughter." He smiled, and it made her proud.

He flung the shovel over his shoulder, and they started off back to the farm. They were the only ones who had attended this funeral. Shuri and Sigyn had refused to come. They despised Thanos. They despised Ana even more. Ana didn't care about what they thought either.

"Do you think Nebula might have given anyone else our location?" he asked all of a sudden.

"That's what I would do," Ana thought out loud. "Even if she didn't, the stones have a unique energy signature. A smart enough person can trace it."

"Can you cloak the stones?"

"Not here. I don't have the tools I need."

"Right… I'm going to build you a workshop on the Sanctuary. A big one. You're going to have hundreds of workers at your disposal. Any material you need, anything you wish to experiment with, will be brought to you immediately."

Ana didn't even try to hide how excited she was. "Wow… I don't even know where to start."

"Don't worry about that. There's so much I will teach you."

"I'm looking forward to it, Father."

He looked at the gauntlet and sighed thoughtfully. "Still, the trouble remains… What to do with the Infinity Stones? As long as they're with me, we'll never be left in peace."

"No," she agreed. "There will always be those who want to use them to undo what you did, or for their own selfish ambitions. Perhaps we should hide them."

"They had been hidden before, scattered around the universe. And yet, here they are now."

"I'm sorry, Father, you're right. We need a more effective solution."

"There is one. I can destroy the stones… using the stones."

She looked at him, taken aback. "Destroy our greatest weapon? Are you sure?"

"If I were alone, I wouldn't even hesitate. They served their purpose. The universe is perfectly balanced. Now they're nothing but temptation. But they're also the only thing that helps me protect you. I'm not as strong as I used to be, Ana."

"Your strength will return. I'll make sure of it. Until then, perhaps you should remain on the Sanctuary, keep being the Titan the universe remembers you to be." They were back at the farm now. She pointed at the armor he now used as a scarecrow.

"You don't like it here?"

"I do. But like you said, we're too exposed here."

"I shall think about it while making stew for dinner. Why don't you go join your sisters?"

Both Shuri and Sigyn were sitting on the porch. Ana had been feeling their condescending gazes on herself. She wasn't looking forward to socializing with them, but she nodded nevertheless. "As you wish, Father."

Ana went to them, while their father started harvesting vegetables for the stew.

"You are disgusting," Shuri spat. "Stark must be rolling in his grave."

"He doesn't have a grave," Ana simply stated.

"I don't understand," Sigyn said, shaking her head. "You and Tony were inseparable. People sometimes wondered if you two shared one mind. How could you betray him like this? This doesn't look like mind control, or brainwashing. This is _you_."

"Oh, get off your high horses! You're daughters of Thanos, too."

Shuri crossed her arms stubbornly. "I'd rather be dead."

"You're being ungrateful. Thanos is the most powerful being in the universe, and he gives us his love. We should acknowledge how lucky we are."

"You won't be feeling so lucky when someone finally comes for revenge. He can't hide forever. And when that day comes, I'll make sure you follow him straight to hell!"

Ana didn't share his plans to destroy the Infinity Stones with her sisters. They weren't ready to leave their old lives behind and embrace the new reality.

* * *

The next morning, she found Thanos tending the crops outside. He smiled when he saw Ana and put the sickle in his hand down. "Good morning, daughter."

"Good morning, Father."

"Are your sisters awake yet?"

"I don't know. They rarely leave their rooms."

"I see."

"They'll come around."

He put his hands on his hips, and turned to face the sun, which had risen only minutes ago. "Last night, I thought a lot about it. I'm going to destroy the stones."

"I trust your wisdom, Father."

"Thank you, Ana."

"When will you do it?"

"Now. I was waiting for you to wake up."

"I'm honored to witness the destruction of the Infinity Stones."

"I know. Still, I want you to witness it from a safe distance. The energy might be harmful to you."

"Probably."

"It's a shame, to have such a strong mind trapped in such a weak body."

"Do you plan to… improve me?" It would be a lie if she said the thought didn't excite her.

"Not yet. I know you were considered to have reached adulthood, but I'll wait until you're in your prime in _my_ eyes before we start. I prefer to wait at least for another decade."

"As you wish."

He stroked her cheek. "It won't be a painful process, I give you my word. I'll never let you suffer. You'll simply go to sleep, and when you wake up, you'll never have to worry about death again."

She could handle the pain, but it was nice to know he wished to spare her. "Thank you, Father."

"Now, go."

Ana turned around and stood on the steps of the porch. Pleased, Thanos nodded. He raised his left hand, and snapped his fingers. And when he did, something came over Ana. A feeling of disgust, and the fragments of who she used to be.

_What have I done?_

She had killed that poor girl, Nebula… And Thor… She had killed Thor! And her dad… She knew he was dead. But why couldn't she remember how he had died? She just couldn't remember, no matter how hard she tried, though it didn't stop her from feeling _truly_ hollow now. It was so intense that she thought Thanos would surely notice, but he didn't.

"_Hello, Ana,"_ a familiar voice said. Wanda's. It was in Ana's head. _"You've done it. You've made Thanos destroy the stones. I left a piece of my consciousness in your head, so that it can guide you. It can only come alive once the stones are gone. You might be confused, but please remember that this is YOUR plan. I didn't want to give your memories back to you all at once, for it might drive you insane after everything you'll have to do to earn Thanos' trust. I need you at your best. The whole universe needs you at your best. I'll make sure ALL your memories will return to you in time, and my voice won't stay in your head forever either. For now, you can't let Thanos suspect anything. He looks hurt. Go to him, and act concerned."_

"_I can't…"_

"_You can! You already have! Time is an illusion, remember? You've seen where this path takes you."_

"_My dad is gone. I have nothing."_ The thought of ending her own life was too tempting. Now that the stones were gone, Thanos couldn't bring her back if she made sure her body was completely destroyed. Who cared about weakening Thanos for the survivors here, or warning the people in another universe? Yes, the other path led to death, too, eventually, but it was too tortuous for her liking. She wanted the quickest way out.

"_I know how you feel. How do you think I felt when Pietro died? But you have a chance to avenge Tony. Avenge all of us. You, Shuri, and Sigyn are the last Avengers now."_

Ana wanted to laugh despite everything. She had never thought she would be declared an Avenger, let alone by Wanda. She was no hero. She didn't care about anything beyond her own selfish feelings, but her dad had. He had cared about his legacy. So, for his sake, she couldn't let the last Stark be a villain. She had to die a hero, like him. One could still do something selfless for selfish reasons.

Before she knew it, Ana was walking towards Thanos purposefully, wearing a confident smile.

* * *

After the stones were gone, Thanos was even weaker. Nevertheless, he had donned his armor, summoned the _Sanctuary_, and they had left the Garden. Ana and the Chitauri would guard the ship until he recovered. The purple shithead hadn't suspected a thing. So, Ana ordered the Chitauri to bring Shuri and Sigyn to her quarters after her memories were fully restored.

"Leave us," she said once the two were shoved into the room. The Chitauri left, and the door was shut tightly behind them.

"What do you want now?" Shuri asked angrily.

"To tell you how we're going to bring Thanos down."

"Is this a test?"

The Asgardian's question made Ana smile. "Always the skeptic, Sigyn. But I don't blame you. After all, it was my grandfather who taught you that all warfare is based on deception."

Sigyn looked at her, taken aback. "How do you know that? I never told you…"

"_He_ did. I've been to Hell once. That's where I met Howard Stark."

"Hell? Mephisto's realm?"

"That's the one. I didn't remember until now. It took me a while to remember everything."

"So, that's your excuse?" Shuri asked this time. "That you were brainwashed, after all? Yeah, nice try…"

"I wasn't brainwashed. Some of my memories were repressed and I was conditioned to appeal to Thanos, by Wanda. I asked for it. It was the only way to hide my intentions from Thanos."

"You're going to have to prove it," Sigyn said.

"Of course. Check your personal pocket dimension. You'll find something that wasn't there before."

Sigyn did. And she found the vial with gravitonium. "What's this?"

"The last of the gravitonium."

"And what are we going to do with it?"

Ana explained her plan to them. She didn't hold anything back. It was a suicide mission, so they had a right to know what exactly they were signing up for.

"If you have a chance to destroy Thanos, why not use it to actually kill him instead?" Shuri asked once Ana was done explaining.

"I could try. But I don't know if I can succeed. I fear him too much. I know he won't kill me if I fail, and that terrifies me."

Sigyn nodded. "I can't do it either. If I fail, he'll go after Sif. Loki will have died for nothing. It's a risk I can't take. And Shuri doesn't stand a chance against him either. Her hatred has been too obvious from the start. He'll never let his guard down around her. I think whoever is destined to kill Thanos, is not in this room. But I'm willing to give my own life for the cause."

"It's settled, then," Shuri said. "We'll be hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between."


	70. Chapter 70

They spent the next eight years playing the game. Shuri was more skeptical than Sigyn, but even she warmed up to Ana in the end. Thanos never returned to his full strength. Ana wasted his soldiers and his resources on meaningless quests at every opportunity, weakening him as much as possible without looking suspicious. He was more than happy to indulge her. Once Wanda's influence completely wore off, it wasn't easy for Ana to live with her true self. No, it was pure torture. But Wanda had eased her into it, so she wouldn't spiral into madness. The last mission was all that mattered now.

* * *

"_From Sanctuary II to all receiving parties: This is Ana Maria Stark, daughter of Anthony Edward Stark. I've spent the past eight years undermining my captor, Thanos. I know most of you will not believe me, but this is not a trap. Every single drop of blood I spilled, I spilled it to earn his trust so that I could waste his resources and weaken his armies. And in that purpose, my plan was a success. If you think you have what it takes to end Thanos, now is the time. He is at his most vulnerable. I have done everything I could for this universe to honor my real father. Let it be known that the Mad Titan's most prized child was his greatest enemy."_

"We're running out of time!" Shuri cried. The contraption was finally ready, but the Chitauri must have intercepted the message. They were coming.

"Come on, Sigyn," Ana told Sigyn, who was casting an illusion spell to make Ana look like a teenager. She was 34 now, but she looked even older than that. The last eight years had taken a toll on her. It had taken a toll on everyone, even on Sigyn.

"It's almost done," the half-Asgardian said. Ana didn't feel any different, but both Sigyn and Shuri nodded in satisfaction. It must have worked.

Someone started pounding on the door. The three women gasped in fear.

"I'll buy you some time," Shuri said. They all knew it meant she was going to get herself killed while fighting the Chitauri.

"Shuri, don't…"

"There's no other way. Besides, we're all going to sacrifice ourselves. This is what we signed up for. If you don't go back in time now, all this will be for nothing."

"Still, my death is going to be much quicker, compared to yours. It's not fair."

"I died when Thanos killed my brother anyway. I have nothing to fear."

"And I died when he made me kill Loki," Sigyn added.

"Good luck, my friend." Shuri hugged Ana.

"Go!" Sigyn cried.

Ana stepped into the machine and turned it on. Just ten more seconds, and she would leave this cursed universe behind for good. At that moment, the door burst open, and Thanos entered. He didn't seem surprised by the betrayal of Sigyn or Shuri, but Ana's involvement had really shocked him. She could see it in his eyes.

"Why?" he asked.

She was actually glad that they had been caught. At least, for once, she was allowed to look at him with all that venomous hatred she had been harboring. It gave her a cruel satisfaction to see how much it hurt him, as he realized every act of service she had performed was to undermine him.

"I told you you'd be the next thing I destroyed. I don't make empty promises."

Before she could see Thanos' response, the intense gravity pulled Ana into a vortex through spacetime. The machine was rigged to explode, so it would be destroyed and Thanos wouldn't be able to follow her, even if he found gravitonium elsewhere. She was free. She would die as Tony Stark's daughter.

A second later, she was standing before a very familiar sight. The front door of the old Malibu mansion. She had to go ahead and touch the door to make sure it was real.

It felt so good. The air, the quiet night… She knew her father was in Afghanistan now, being held hostage in a cave…

No. _Her_ father was dead. He had been eaten alive by the Chitauri.

JARVIS. JARVIS was alive, too. He was right here. She could talk to him. Then she remembered that he wasn't sentient yet. Even if he were, he wouldn't be _her_ JARVIS.

She was in 2009, she was in Malibu, and yet, she wasn't home. This was home to another Ana Maria Stark. The thought made her sad.

_You are no human anymore. Just a tool to be used. You have no life. Do what you must do, and die. Come back from the dead, do what you must do, and die again._

She looked at the security cam above. "It feels so strange to be here, after everything I've been through. But terrible sacrifices have been made, just to make sure I get to deliver this message. And we don't have much time. Ana. I know you're there. I know you're watching me. I'm you. I've come from the future to warn you. Thanos has the Infinity Stones. All of them. He's unstoppable now, and there's nothing any of us can do. The Earth's been destroyed; the only survivors are the ones Thanos chose to adopt. I am, unfortunately, one of them. Forget about your dreams of time-traveling. Because if you don't, you'll be stuck in a time loop, just like I did. What you have to do is to finish what Howard Stark started. You have to build the Nexus. Only then, we might be able to destroy Thanos for good. Loki, he despises him as much as any—"

She turned around when she heard the footsteps behind her. They were here. Two armed men wearing black masks. Just like Charles Hinton had shown her years ago. One fired his gun, and two bullets pierced Ana's chest. Again, she knew how it would be like. She wasn't afraid. She looked at the camera again. Her message had been cryptic, and not entirely accurate, but it was exactly what her past self needed to hear.

"New York. You must be in New York."

And she died.

* * *

There was only darkness. Her soul was trapped in her body, for she was a temporal aberration, something that didn't belong in this reality. She had nowhere to go. Darkness was worse than hell, but better than being alive.

She woke up with a loud gasp, in a hospital bed, under the wary gazes of Nick Fury and Maria Hill.

"Easy," he said, thinking she needed to be comforted. "Easy. You're safe now."

"Are we in the Guest House?"

Both he and Hill frowned, and swapped quick, meaningful glances. "What?" asked Fury.

"I died. You brought me back, with GH.325."

"How do you know _that_?"

"I was counting on that."

"You knew you'd be here?"

"Come on, Fury. You know who I am. Or, rather, _what_ I am. Don't tell me the Director of SHIELD never expected to meet a time-traveler."

"I wasn't expecting a time-traveler to look like… you."

"What? You expected a doctor with a phone box?"

"Get some rest. Looks like you and I have a lot to talk about."

"I'll rest when the work is done." She ripped off the IV tube from her arm. "For now, I just want cheeseburgers. And a drink stronger than your Kree juice."

* * *

After years of feeding on space food, Burger King cheeseburger tasted like ambrosia, the food of the gods. She felt like a god herself, with the knowledge she possessed. Or, maybe, she had drunk too much of that Haig Fury had brought. All those people she had killed in Thanos' name, every atrocity she had committed in the past eight years, her dad's final moments… The amber-colored liquid burnt them away, leaving only a fake sense of joy and triumph in its wake. Fury was waiting patiently as Ana devoured her third cheeseburger, but his good eye was full of questions.

"It's okay," she said at last. "Whatever you want to know, ask away."

"I don't think you're here to be my personal fortuneteller."

"No. But I want to see what it is that you want to know the most. Just curious."

"Alright. In your future, who killed me?"

His limited thinking made her laugh. Being drunk, everything seemed funnier.

He laughed, too, but more bitterly. "Let me guess, you can't tell me?"

"Sure I can. In fact, that's exactly what I'm here for." She swallowed the last bit of the cheeseburger, wiped her mouth clean with a paper napkin, and poured more Haig for both of them. They were going to need it. "_I_ did it. I killed you. Along with 7.5 billion others."

She rolled her eyes when his hand went to the gun at his hip. "Relax, it was an accident."

"You _accidentally_ killed 7.5 billion people?"

Ana looked up from the drink she was holding and pinned him down with a gaze. "Do you want to know how I spent the last eight years in my timeline? There's this guy. The one you, too, will have to fight one day. He's the most ruthless being in the universe. He doesn't just kill his enemies. He bathes the starways in their blood. He killed half of the universe with a snap of his fingers, then made me watch as his soldiers ate my dad alive. He adopted me. Every day, I looked this guy in the eye and lied, while he taught me how to be like him. I tortured good, innocent people who wanted nothing but to avenge the universe, just to earn his trust. I commanded the army of monsters that feasted on my father's flesh. I did all those things just to get here and save your timeline. Don't expect any apologies from me."

"You've got heart. Noted."

"Good," she said, taking another sip from the Haig.

"So, tell me more about this guy who bathes the starways in blood."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, this is where the story was supposed to end. The writer in me keeps telling me to let actions have lasting consequences, but my inner fangirl is begging me to let Tony Stark get a happy ending. So, I've written three "bonus chapters" to find a middle ground. You can stop right here if you prefer the sad, depressing ending. But if you want a happy ending and don't mind an OP Tony, stay tuned! In the meantime, please let me know what you think. I haven't received many reviews lately and I don't know if you are still enjoying this story. I hope I've delivered what I promised.
> 
> Also, RIP Chadwick Boseman... The first scene of this chapter is from my Wakanda-focused story, The Princess, and having to revisit it right after his death was hard :(


	71. Bonus Chapter #1

Who would have guessed zombies made perfect stay-at-home parents?

The only reason the past six months had been such a breeze for Tony and Pepper was because the latter didn't need to eat or sleep anymore. Well, technically, there was nothing that stopped him from eating, but this materialized astral form didn't need any nourishment, and he couldn't enjoy the taste of anything that wasn't served in Valhalla, so it would just be a waste of good human food.

Even though Pepper still woke up once or twice to breastfeed Morgan, she could now get a good night's sleep, while Tony's favorite nighttime activity was to enjoy every bit of this miraculous second chance he had been given to the fullest, so here he was, in the nursery, watching Morgan sleep.

The universe thought he had the perfect life. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, Iron Man, Avenger, Titanslayer, husband to an amazing woman, and father to a beautiful baby girl… Only a selected few remembered what had truly happened. Morgan was going to grow up in a lie, trying to fill a void she wasn't even aware of. Well, that depended on how long it would take them to find Ana, but he was trying not to get too hopeful. There were an infinite number of timelines out there. Finding the one she had created would take decades at best. It was like finding not a needle in a haystack, but one very specific straw. JARVIS had dedicated himself solely to this task ever since Tony had given him a body. He barely left the study downstairs.

He reminded himself time was just an illusion, that at some point in the future, Ana was back in her own world and a part of his life. He just had to be patient and wait until they reached that point.

"Boss, it's 6 AM," FRIDAY whispered the notification in order not to disturb Morgan.

Well, 6 AM meant it was time to make breakfast for Pepper. He gently brushed Morgan's cheek with a thumb. There were people who thought he was insane to choose this mundane world over the eternal glory of Valhalla, but he had seen Valhalla, and watching his baby girl like this was better than anything Valhalla could offer. He felt like he could spend an eternity in this room.

But his wife needed to eat, so he went to the kitchen, and decided to make an omelet.

He was taking two eggs from the fridge when JARVIS phased into the kitchen through the wall. "Sir, I've found her."

The eggs exploded in Tony's hand. "Shit!"

"Sir?"

"Yeah, I heard you… Just a sec," he mumbled. He took his sweet time washing his hands. He wasn't expecting to hear the good news any time soon. He certainly wasn't expecting it to happen _today_. The truth was, he wasn't ready.

He recalled Thanos' last words before his death. Tony, his full rage unleashed, had impaled Thanos with his own big-ass sword—because who didn't love poetic justice, right?—while their respective armies battled around them. That was a rage that made the Siberia fight look like a kindergarten brawl.

"_She is the one thing you can't have back, Stark,"_ Thanos had boasted. Probably just to taunt him one last time before he died. Tony had lost it after that. He had kept slashing and stabbing Thanos' dead body until the sword had broken in half. Then he had used the Soul element to shred his soul into nothing, so that he could never, ever come back. No one had taught him how to do that; it had happened instinctively, on the spur of the moment, but deep down, he knew he had done a neat job. His only regret was his parents had seen him like that.

Finally, he turned to face JARVIS. "Are you sure?"

"100% sure, sir."

"Show me."

They went to the study. Here, there was a holographic map of Cosmos JARVIS had been using to pin down Ana's location.

"This is it, sir," he pointed at a thread. "This is the timeline Ana created."

Now, all Tony had to do was to travel through the Quantum Realm to get there. For certain reasons, JARVIS thought Tony should be the one to do it, and he should do it alone. He had explained to Tony, and Tony had understood his reluctance to go there with him. He thought it was needless, but he understood.

"I can't believe we got so lucky…"

"I wouldn't call it 'luck,' sir."

"Why not?"

"The bond you and Ana share, it's not metaphorical. It's a sort of quantum entanglement, one that I can perceive. She and I share a similar bond. That's how I found her. If, for example, Thanos had tried to find her, even with the Infinity Stones, I don't think he would've ever succeeded."

_Yeah, how about that, you son of a bitch…_ "Huh."

"Shall I set up the Quantum Tunnel?"

"Yeah, you do that. I'll go wake Pepper up."

He had been caught totally unprepared. A part of him wanted to dance his way to the bedroom, but Thanos' last threat echoing in his head made him drag his feet there instead. Maybe, if he shared his concerns with Pepper, she could find the right words to soothe him.

If Morgan's birth had taught them anything, it was the fact that postpartum depression was no joke. It had been hard enough for Tony, watching the woman he loved go through it. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Pepper to actually experience it. One night, she had woken up crying and said, _"I want my daughter, Tony!"_ again and again. She had never said which one, but Tony had understood. Instead of going upstairs to Morgan's room, he had gone to the study and asked JARVIS if there were any developments.

But she had overcome it in the end and become his anchor once again. Pepper was stronger than he could ever be.

She was waking up by the time he entered, and it took her less than one second to realize something was going on. "Tony? What is it?"

"JARVIS found Ana."

She shot up in the bed with a beautiful smile. "T—that's great… right?"

"Yeah, it is."

She slipped out of the bed and walked up to him, looking like a goddess in her white, satin pajamas. Tony had laid eyes on the actual goddesses of Asgard. All of them, except for Thor's psycho sister, who had gone back to ruling Hel, obviously. And he still thought Pepper made them look like a bunch of hags.

Too bad he couldn't have sex anymore. Pepper had said it was okay, they would make it work, and there were other ways he could make her happy in bed, but they could never make another sibling for Morgan. Tony had learned not to be greedy, though. He knew how lucky he was to have what he had.

"What's wrong, then?"

He kissed her lips before answering. "It's just something Thanos said, before he died. It's ridiculous, but I can't get it out of my head. I never told you before, didn't think it was something you should be worried about any time soon. But now…"

She cupped his face in her hands, making him look into her eyes. "Tell me."

"He said she was the one thing I couldn't get back."

"That's plain bullshit, and you know it."

"What if it's not? I don't know what he did to her, Pep."

"I thought Heimdall was telling you…"

Yeah, back in Valhalla, everybody was waiting for Ana to make her move and leave Thanos at his weakest, so that they could go to war. The last Asgardian gatekeeper was keeping them updated. He gave Tony even more detailed reports, believing he had a right to know what was being done to his daughter. In fact, everybody there respected him a lot, for while Ana's plan was morally questionable, it was also incredibly brave and probably the only way to bring Thanos to his doom. Considering how much the Asgardians despised him, the second part was kind of the only one that had mattered to them at that point.

"Yeah, but no one can tell me how it affected her. It's something I gotta see for myself."

"And you will."

"That's what freaks me out."

"Tony… You say you're scared, but do you know what I see right now? A happy man. You're just happy to get her back. We all are. Maybe she'll bounce back, maybe she won't. Ever. But she'll be with us. Because what's the other option? Are we just going to leave her there?"

"Never."

"Exactly."

* * *

Pepper came to see him off with Morgan in her arms. He kissed them both before stepping onto the platform.

"How long is this going to take?" she asked nervously.

"For you, only a few seconds. For me? As long as it takes. I'll try to make it quick, though. I got no intention to mess with another timeline."

"Okay."

Under Pepper's and JARVIS' nervous gazes, he suited up and went to the year 2019 in that timeline, just in case. Yeah, that meant letting his poor Ana suffer in death for an extra year, but he wanted to make sure Thanos was gone and the dust had settled in that universe before ruffling the feathers.

As he moved toward the universe Ana's actions had created, he felt the bond JARVIS had talked about. It was almost like it was tugging at his heart. The void he had in him had been filled instantly, and he knew his Ana was here. Or maybe, it was just in his head…

He found himself in a white, brightly but artificially-lit room. It was small. Through the rectangular window on his left, he could see a sight that would have given him an anxiety attack once: Space. Right, this was most likely Fury's space station. The one he had built with the Skrulls. He had one back in Tony's own timeline as well.

He turned around to find a cryo-chamber just sitting in a corner. There were some cracks on the lid, but it still seemed active. All he had to do was take a few steps forward, and open it. He would have his Ana back.

"_She is the one thing you can't have back, Stark."_

His feet remained glued.

All of a sudden, the alarms went off. _Shit._ They must have detected an intruder, which was, well… him.

There was no time to hesitate anymore. He ran to the cryo-chamber, pressed the button to unlock it. The cryo-chamber opened with a hiss, and there was a rush of steam at first, but once it cleared out, he saw her. Dead, but that was no longer a problem. When they returned home, he was going to bring her back with the Time Element.

He was taking her into his arms when the door whooshed open and Fury came in.

"Stark…"

"I'm not the Tony Stark you know," he said simply, hoping he would let them go without too much fuss.

"Obviously. Ours is dead."

Damn, did he have to tell him?

"But the universe is safe," he added. "Our Earth has never been destroyed, Thanos was never able to snap his fingers. Thanks to our Tony and Ana… And this one as well." He almost looked like he was going to miss her. A time-traveler had to be the most precious thing in his collection. But that was nothing, compared to how precious she was to Tony.

"I'm taking her home."

"I know."

He attached the second Quantum Suit housing unit he had brought on her chest, and used the opportunity to take a closer look. Even in death, she seemed to be in pain, and she was. An afterlife with massive PTSD was hard enough in Valhalla. He couldn't even imagine what it must be like while you were stuck in your own body. That was what happened if you died in a different timeline than your own. His dad had told him about it, too.

"When you two met, how was she?" He had had to swallow before asking.

"She was focused, determined, reliable…"

"I didn't ask you if she was a good soldier. _How_ was she? You know, as a human being."

"Honestly, I don't know. She never let me see her as a human being. She wanted to be treated as a tool, so I did just that. It wasn't easy, even for me, and you know what a cold-hearted bastard I am. It was easy for her, though. So, if there's any humanity left in her, it's up to you to find it."

"How's Pepper doing here? After my death?"

"She's strong. She let Ana took over Stark Industries. She's now raising her son, Morgan."

He couldn't help but smile. So, Morgan was a boy here… Then he remembered that this was no happy ending, and he felt responsible for it. He owed them an apology. His kid as a time-traveler must have made things a lot more complicated for them.

"Do they not have the Nexus?"

"Of course they do. Ana's plan worked perfectly… Well, for most people, at least."

"Why don't they use it to bring me back, then?"

"I think they're afraid of the backlash. You guys have to do a lot of questionable things to prepare for Thanos. Hell, you announced Howard's return with a press conference! "

So, that was public information here…

"Well, next time you see my dad, tell him to stop being a wimp!" Maybe he shouldn't have intervened, but he couldn't bear the thought of Pepper being a widow and his kids orphans in any universe.

Tony's suit was still on. He activated Ana's as well, and scooped her into his arms. Under Fury's cold, watchful gaze, they were sucked into the Quantum Realm.

There, he brought them to a halt.

Honestly, it was beautiful here. Here he was, maybe not human anymore, but he was alive enough to feel love, joy, hope, fear, concern, and everything else a human was capable of feeling. If only Ana could see the Quantum Realm, too. He had shown her every beautiful spot on the Earth, until there was nothing new for them to see. She wasn't that little girl anymore, but to him, she would always be that little girl, and the universe was full of beautiful things he wanted her and Morgan to see.

But while he was busy enjoying the sight, her soul was being tormented, so he focused to use the Soul Element like his dad had taught him. Mephisto probably still wanted a Stark's soul in his dungeons, and Tony had to protect hers from him until she was resurrected. He mentally reached her essence, felt it, even poked at it. He felt her pain, but the energy from the element wrapped itself around her, like a protective layer, under his command.

Suddenly, he found himself in two places at once. The physical manifestation of his soul remained in the Quantum Realm, but his essence was pulled into the Soul World. Instinctively, he knew his very soul was bared. There were no lies in the Soul World.

It looked like the secret HYDRA bunker in Siberia, but merely an outline of it, and there was an orange hue over everything. He heard the sobs and sniffing of a little girl, and then she spotted her, indeed. She was sitting against a wall, hugging a broken Iron Man helmet, her shoulders shaking with each sob. How old was she here? Four, maybe five…

"Kid?"

When she looked up, Tony had perhaps the most painful moment of his existence. Seeing so much pain on the face of a little girl, it made him understand… Fury was right; Thanos had broken her. He had broken her again and again, until there was no joy or hope left. Tony hated himself for having destroyed Thanos' soul and ended his suffering so quickly. He should have built a prison for him instead, condemn him to neverending suffering or something like that. Seeing such undeniable proof of the damage he had done to Ana had shattered all the peace Tony had found after rebuilding the Earth.

"I can't be here," his little Ana said.

By some miracle, he managed to smile. "Sure you can. Why Siberia, though?"

"I don't know… I'm lost."

Well, considering this was where they both had hit the rock bottom, it made sense. Even in the Soul World, he had to take a deep breath to compose himself. He suddenly felt so self-conscious in her presence. He was the only one who could fix her, but… what if he screwed this up? What if he failed to give her what she needed to heal? He couldn't live with himself.

But something needed to be done, so he extended his arms. "Ana, honey, I'm so sorry. I know I couldn't protect you before. But things are different now. I'm asking you to trust me one last time. Please. Come here."

She was reluctant at first, but she approached him slowly, like a skittish, but curious kitten approaching a human for the first time. Tony waited patiently, until she put the helmet down and threw her little arms around his neck, and then he locked his around her. At that moment, despite everything, he felt complete for the first time in what felt like forever. He was finally reunited with a part of himself, a part that had been cruelly ripped away from him, and he wouldn't stop until she was okay.

In the Quantum Realm, he was urging the suit on. The tunnel spat them back onto the platform in his garage.

Pepper and JARVIS were anxiously waiting for them. Morgan was smiling at her daddy, oblivious to what was going on. They looked so hopeful, so innocent that Tony decided never to tell them what had happened in the Soul World.

"Let me see her," Pepper begged him.

He went down to his knees while still carrying Ana, and deactivated her suit. JARVIS quietly took Morgan from Pepper. Pepper knelt, too, and placed Ana's head on her lap, very gently, even though she obviously couldn't hurt her.

After Morgan's birth, when Tony had put her into Pepper's arms, she had looked at their little girl just like she would look at Ana. And right now, she was holding Ana just like she held Morgan. Of course, Tony had always known that she would never favor one child over another, but seeing them like this, with his own eyes, was something else.

"Eight years with Thanos, huh?" Pepper asked thoughtfully. "My poor baby…"

Yes, this was hard for her to believe. As far as she was concerned, Tony had gone to space, and appeared in their living room a few hours later, saying the Earth had been gone for eight years and he had been in Valhalla during that whole time. Oh, and then, he had asked her to take a pregnancy test.

"She's going to be alright. She's home now."

"While you were gone, JARVIS and I decided that you should do the… thing alone."

"But—"

"We don't want to overwhelm her," JARVIS said. "We believe it's best if you explain what occurred during her absence."

He decided not to argue. He still wasn't very experienced with the Elements. Even the slightest distraction could be enough to break the link and leave Ana's soul vulnerable. She being taken to Hell was the last thing anyone needed. Pepper gave her back to him, he strode out of the garage and into the main house. Ana and JARVIS' room was upstairs. JARVIS and Pepper had decorated it together. Ana would love it, he hoped. He placed her on the queen-size bed, closed the door, and then came back to sit on the edge of the bed, and held her hand.

"Come back to me, kid, okay?"

Maybe it was too much, to expect her to be more than a shell of the person she once was. The person she used to be before the fear, paranoia, and grief had consumed her. Before she had been forced to make terrible choices to destroy Thanos.

Well, there was always the emergency plan. If she was beyond hope, he could always turn her into a baby. She could get a clean slate, grow up with Morgan. They had discussed it. Pepper would love to get a chance to raise Ana. JARVIS was willing to wait until she was an adult to start over their relationship. He was confident that she would fall in love with him again, no matter whoever she grew up to be this time. But that would only happen if Ana asked for it. If they were going to make her live a lie, they couldn't do it without her consent.

Using the Mind Element to preserve her memories, he used Time to make her body go back in time.

She woke up with a startled gasp, and backed away from him, but then, her body froze, except for her eyes. She was blinking, looking at him, and with each blink, there was a new emotion: Confusion, disbelief, hope, and fear. It was like turning the pages of a book.

"Hey, baby girl…"

"What's this place?" she asked, looking around suspiciously.

"Home."

Her eyes blazed with hatred. "You found me, didn't you? I thought you couldn't, but… _This_ is how you're getting back at me! Showing me what I can't have…"

Damn. She thought Thanos was playing a trick on her. "Honey, it's me, I swear!"

"Prove it!"

"You met my dad in Hell," he said quickly. Yeah, it wasn't exactly something he wanted to remind her right now, but it was one of her few secrets Thanos had never been able to discover. "Or… remember our conversation in the Soul World? That was me, protecting your soul from Mephisto!"

She still seemed unconvinced.

"Your mind was under Wanda's influence, until Thanos destroyed the stones. That's how you deceived him." It was another thing Thanos had never been able to figure out. He had died not knowing how he had been fooled.

"How do you know all these? How did you escape Hell? I thought there was no hope for you."

"I never went to Hell. The Norns were quicker to act than Mephisto. They took me to Valhalla."

"Is that where we are now?"

"No, kid. I told you, we're home."

"I don't understand…"

He went to open the curtains, so that she could see the sky and the trees outside. "Look."

Slowly, Ana got out of the bed, and approached. She looked, but she seemed scared, as if her gaze might destroy everything it touched.

"You remember this place, right? We bought it shortly after Sokovia. I was going to build Pepper cabin, but then…"

"Then she broke up with you."

He shrugged. "Well, I finally built the cabin."

She whipped her head around so violently that Tony thought she would hurt herself. "Is she here, too?"

"They're all here, kid. Pepper, JARVIS, Morgan…"

"Huh…"

She was going to fall on her knees, but Tony caught her and put her back in the bed. He waited in silence while she processed the news. It wasn't going to be easy.

"How old is Morgan?"

"Six months."

Again, silence.

"Dad," she said after what felt like an eternity. "What happened?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

He decided to start from the beginning. "Like I said, I went to Valhalla, was greeted by my mom there."

"Your mom?"

"I know. She was no warrior, but she'd died fighting HYDRA. That, combined with Sigyn's prayers, earned her a spot, I guess. Thor was there, too. Even Loki. Everyone was pissed. They wanted revenge on Thanos. But Heimdall said we had to wait until you weakened him. Most people spent their days feasting, drinking, dueling, but I was just not interested. They tried to distract me sometimes, but it didn't really work. You girls were all I could think about. At least Pepper and Morgan were out of Thanos' reach, but you…"

"How much do you know?"

"Heimdall told me everything you had to do."

She nodded slowly.

"It wasn't all bad," he added to cheer her up. "The Dwarves had a forge there. They let me use it. They taught me a few secrets. I built an Uru suit, even got to keep it. It's in the garage; you're going to love that bad boy."

Her lips curled up into a smile, but it faded quickly. "So, you attacked Thanos after I noped out of this timeline?"

"Yep."

"How did he die?"

"I killed him myself. With his own sword." He had waited for too long to be able to tell her this.

"Did he suffer?"

"Not as much as he should have."

"I'm sorry I couldn't do it myself. I could've tried, I guess. I wanted to. But I was terrified, of what he'd do to me if I failed. I knew he wouldn't let me die. I had one shot at this, so I chose to escape."

"Kid, all I did was to put a sword through him. You did much more than that. You broke him. I'm so proud of you."

"Dad?"

"Yes, baby girl?"

"What's the part you're not telling me?"

"Okay, there are two things you won't be happy to hear: First off, my dad helped us."

Confusion flickered across her face. "He did?"

"He escaped Hell to build the Nexus and give it to me. It wasn't easy for me to forgive him. I only did in the end because I believe he actually thought he was protecting us when he had your mind wiped."

Tony remembered how he felt when he had first seen him before the battle. Tony had frozen, but his mom had walked up to him, looked him in the eye, and asked, _"Is it true? What you did to our granddaughter?"_ She knew it was true, of course. She had just wanted him to say it to her face. He had, and she had slapped him.

"Is he still around?"

"He was raised in Hell, meaning he can never enter Valhalla. My mom refused to return without him, so they're both here now. They're living in a nice beach house in the Bahamas, but that's a family secret."

She nodded. "What's the other thing?"

He took a deep breath, even though his lungs didn't need air anymore. It was just a habit.

"Come on, Dad. If you know of the things I had to do as Thanos' daughter, then you know why I have no place in this world, in this universe. What will happen to me?"

"Okay, let's make one thing clear: You were never Thanos' daughter. You were his captive."

"It won't matter to my victims."

"Your 'victims' don't remember you. No one does, except for a selected few. That's what I had to do."

It had been the hardest part, to be honest. Even harder than going toe-to-toe with Thanos. It wasn't just people's memories of her he had erased. He had also erased all the pictures, and videos, awards, gifts they had exchanged, even her MIT diploma… Every single vestige of her existence. He had had to cry like a baby in Pepper's arms afterwards.

"Who's this 'selected few'?"

"Rhodey and Happy, of course. They're family. Vision, too, because he and JARVIS are like twin brothers now. Wanda, because she helped us with this arrangement. Fury and Strange, because those two apparently have to know everything. That's it. Oh, and there's Cap, too, but he's not around anymore, so…"

"What?"

"Let's just say after he helped me get my happy ending, I helped him get his."

"You sent him back in time, didn't you? To Peggy?"

"He didn't belong here, kid. Just because he was able to adapt didn't mean he was happy. I'm going to miss him, though."

"So, I'm not Ana Maria Stark anymore. Just nobody."

"No! You are Ana Maria Stark. Always. That's the name I gave you. No one can take it from you."

"Thanks, Dad. But this is still a risk. We're putting Morgan in danger."

"Well, it's a risk we just have to take."

Her gaze lingered on his wedding ring. Tony looked at it, too, and smiled. He never took the ring off. It was a constant reminder that he officially belonged to Pepper now.

"Oh, it was the wedding of the century," he said, knowing what she wanted to know. "'The Iron Wedding,' they call it."

"Too bad I ruined it with my absence."

Well, her "absence" had been extra unbearable during the wedding, it was the truth. But Tony had learned to be grateful for what the universe gave him, instead of complaining about what was denied. "Look on the bright side. Now we have an excellent excuse for a vow renewal."

She chuckled, then became serious again. "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Why is JARVIS not here? Why is he avoiding me?"

That was another question he had been expecting. "It's… complicated."

"Is it, though? Say it, Dad. Say that he's disgusted by me. By the things I did. That he doesn't want to be my boyfriend anymore."

"It's not that."

"What, then?"

"He's ashamed."

She flashed a bitter smile at him. "Makes sense. I'm ashamed of myself, too."

"No. Not you. He's ashamed of himself. He thinks he failed you."

"That's ridiculous."

"It's something you guys should talk about, but I swear to you, kid, you have no reason to doubt his love…"

She nodded again—she was doing a lot of nodding—and put her hands on his shoulders, digging her fingers into his skin, as if she was trying to put him back together. Then she started to cry. Not with loud, violent sobs, but with one long, quiet wail, shattering Tony's heart. Yeah, that was her humanity, coming back in full force. "What happened to you… That was so wrong… So wrong…"

"I'm okay. I actually died pretty fast. You were the one who had to watch the whole thing."

"It happened because of me. If it hadn't been for me, Thanos would've left you alone. I wish I'd never been born."

It made him want to bring Thanos back, only to kill him again and again, forever. "No! Don't say that. If you say that, Thanos wins. Don't do that to me."

"I'm sorry… I just missed you so much."

"I missed you, too, kid. Come here." He pulled her into his arms. He held her tight, let her feel his strength, so that she would be convinced that he was whole again. He buried his nose into her hair, inhaled her scent, but she didn't smell like herself. She smelled of ice, and the chemicals that had preserved her body in the cryo chamber.

She stilled when they heard Morgan's distant, muffled cries, and pulled herself back to give him a questioning look. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah, sounds like Maguna needs a diaper change." He was now very good at guessing what different types of cries meant.

Ana had gone so pale that Tony laughed. "What? Okay, dirty diapers are nasty, I gotta admit, but it's not that bad. Come on, time to meet your little sister…"

She collapsed on the bed, limp and unconscious.

"Shit…" Tony shook her gently. "Kid? What's wrong? Come on, kid, wake up!"

JARVIS entered the room through the locked door. He looked at her, head tilted to one side, and placed a hand on her cheek.

"What's wrong with her, J?"

"I think she was just… overwhelmed."

Well, JARVIS didn't seem too worried, so that was good. "Maybe she just needs a moment with you first, before she meets Morgan. I'll leave you guys alone. Because I clearly screwed this up."

"There was no easy way to do this, sir. But I believe the hardest part is over."


	72. Bonus Chapter #2

A vague image of her dad and JARVIS fussing over her was playing on a loop in her head, but she couldn't find the strength to open her eyes. Even Pepper joined them at one point. The loop kept playing. How did she know the android was JARVIS, and not Vision without the Mind Stone? They looked the same…

"JARVIS?" The name sounded so natural on her lips that it was almost effortless.

She felt the synthetic fingers on her face. "Ana?"

She opened her eyes and looked around. To her surprise, nothing disappeared, not even JARVIS himself. "So, it wasn't a dream… I'm still here."

JARVIS smiled. "Of course you are. This is our room. Well, it can be just _your_ room, if you want more privacy, I don't really need a room anyway, but…"

"No. Don't leave me alone."

"As you wish."

"This is really you," she thought out loud. He had a body, and it made a big difference. In the past, he used to be everywhere around her. Now, his existence had a physical manifestation and Ana was drawn to it. She wanted to touch him, she didn't want to waste even a single second not touching him.

"Please take it easy," he said when she tried to reach up.

"I missed you, J."

"I missed you, too." He looked like he wanted to hold her, too, but he was hesitating. Right, her dad had said something about shame.

"JARVIS? Dad said you were ashamed… Why?"

"Here, have some water. You're thirsty."

Water was a good idea. She took the glass he gave her and sipped from it, but not without locking him with a questioning gaze.

"Isn't it obvious?" he started at last. "I told you I'd fight for you, but I couldn't make it out of the Cradle. I made a promise I couldn't keep. How can I expect you to trust me now? And it was my idea to find an Inhuman with foresight. When you finally did, I wasn't there to help you cope with the future you saw. Your own death… You were all alone." He bowed his head in remorse.

She put the now empty glass on the nightstand. With one hand, she held his. With the other, she touched his face and made him look at hers. Funny, his features were identical to Vision's, but in her eyes, they were nothing alike. She instinctively knew this was the face of her lover.

"Listen to me, J. What happened to you on that night was _our _decision. It was a risk we took together, because not doing anything would've been even riskier. It only failed because the Avengers feared you. That was a miscalculation on my part, not yours. You wanted to earn their trust and friendship from the very start. I was the one who wanted us to be feared. It was that fear that got you killed."

He didn't argue with that, probably because they both knew she was right. Instead, he said, "There's something else."

"What is it?"

"Now that I have a form, we should probably discuss your boundaries. But this is not a good time. You have more important issues to resolve first. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"You won't…"

"Are you sure? You should know that I'm physically attracted to you. I mean, I still don't have any sexual urges, obviously, but I want to be close to you. It's odd…"

"That's okay. I feel the same way."

"Are you sure?"

"JARVIS, don't worry so much about me. You know I tried to sleep with Vision just to spite Wanda… You were there. You've seen what a disgusting piece of shit I was. I don't get to demand respect for my boundaries."

"Ana, you were in pain. Besides, if it's any consolation, Wanda and Vision have forgiven you. Right now, they're very happy that you're home."

"Please let them know I'm very happy for them, too. I could've never done what I did without their help."

JARVIS smiled. "I just have."

"What time is it?" it occurred to her to ask. It seemed dark outside, and the room was illuminated by the two bedside lamps.

"10.13 PM."

"I look like shit right now, don't I?"

"You look like what any human who had her second resurrection after a postmortem trip across the multiverse would look like."

She laughed at both his honesty and how trivial he made the whole thing sound, but it didn't take her long to become serious again. "Ugh, I spent years asleep, why am I still feeling so tired?"

"You weren't asleep, Ana. You were dead. It's completely normal for you to be disoriented. Unlike me, you're not a machine. Take your time. You'll be alright."

"What if I never become alright?"

"That would be completely normal, too. All I ask is, don't shut us out. Don't suffer alone."

"What about _your _suffering? You were killed, came back, only to be trapped in someone else's body for years, and then got killed again in someone else's body. That can't be easy."

"It wasn't. But mine isn't a human mind. I don't experience trauma like you do. You don't have to worry about me."

"You're saying your mind is stronger."

"Considerably," he boasted.

"Pfft. Show-off."

They both laughed. She had missed his sass. She moved aside for him to slip into the bed with her. He seemed surprised by the invitation, but didn't refuse.

"I can help you sleep through the night, if you want," he offered.

"I don't want any sedatives."

"No, not with sedatives."

"How, then?"

"Ana?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a smart human…"

"That's actually open to debate, but… okay."

"What do you think my power source is?"

Good question. He looked like Vision, yes, but he didn't have an Infinity Stone anywhere visible to power his body. "The Nexus?" she guessed.

In response, his chest became transparent. The Nexus was in there, in the center of it. He took her hand, placed it on his chest, and decreased its density until it was intangible so that her hand could go through it. Inside his chest, she saw the powerful white glow of the Nexus, and felt the reactor with her hands.

"Vision was given the Mind Element as a replacement, but Mr. Stark wanted to give me something better. My heart comes from your mind."

"I didn't invent the Nexus. You-know-who did."

"It was your idea. It doesn't matter who put the pieces together while you weren't around to do it yourself. And perhaps you should give your grandfather a chance to apologize."

Ana rolled her eyes."Oh, we're so _not_ having that discussion."

"I'm simply trying to prevent the possible awkwardness in the family."

"He should gladly settle for awkwardness." Seriously, if anyone else had betrayed her like that, she would have killed that person already. Slowly and painfully, using every trick she had learned from Thanos. But this was her dad's dad, he loved him even though he was a back-stabbing asshole, so she was just going to pretend he didn't exist, for which he should be grateful…

_What the hell am I thinking?_

Why did she want to use anything she had learned from Thanos? After everything she had done to escape him? Well, she might have escaped him, but she couldn't escape herself.

"Ana? What's wrong?"

"How can you still love me, JARVIS? Knowing I'm a monster?"

"I'd say you're no monster, but you wouldn't believe me. Maybe I can _show_ you."

"How?"

"There's something I've been meaning to try, if you let me use the Mind Element on you. Not to read your mind, but to show you mine."

"Okay…"

A strange warmness enveloped her, and she _saw_. She saw what it was like to be JARVIS. His birth, his evolution, his death, his rebirth, and everything in between, all at once. How much he loved her, how much he had feared for her, how happy she made him. Seeing how precious was to him made all the self-hatred go away. That was the best part. The worst was the time he had spent trapped in Vision's body.

All in all, it was a euphoric experience, to see the universe through his eyes. She found herself wishing to return the favor, to show him her mind. He, too, deserved to know how much he was loved.

"Look into mine," she gasped. Overwhelmed by all those memories, she could barely speak.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

So, he used the Mind Element not just to show her his mind, but also to see hers simultaneously.

When he found out what he meant to her, he, too, was free of shame. And he saw the joy he was giving her, while she saw the joy she was giving him. They were suddenly caught in a positive feedback loop. He called it "mental amalgamation."

He didn't need to ask for permission to kiss her lips. He knew she was ready to give it a go without even asking. Ana wasn't sure if she liked the act itself. It wasn't bad, but to her, it was no different than cuddling, holding hands, or just exchanging thoughts. Just another form of interaction, really. What really gave her pleasure was knowing how happy she was making him. So, she craned her neck and kissed him back as hard as she could. His arms tightened around her. He wasn't hurting her, but she could feel a fraction of that unnatural strength he had. He could crush her bones easily if he wanted. But even in such a passion, his calculations were flawless.

She had always thought she was a terrible kisser, but that didn't matter anymore either. The only person she would ever make out with was JARVIS, and for JARVIS, every kiss from her was a good kiss.

She saw the plans he had made for the two of them, too. The best one was…

"Why did you stop?" Ana complained. He had suddenly withdrawn. "It was amazing."

"I was hurting your brain."

"What? My brain is fine, I don't—" She cried when she felt a sharp pain in her brain indeed, like someone had stabbed her in the head.

"Your mind is overloaded with data. I'm sorry. I should've been more careful."

The pain had ceased, but not without leaving a throbbing headache behind. She didn't care. "It's worth it."

"Mental amalgamation with a human is too dangerous. But at least now you know how much you are loved."

"So do you."

He smiled. "I guess we'll have to keep relying on verbal communication again. I know it's not as exciting, but…"

"Everything is exciting with you." She sank back into his chest. It was pretty comfortable.

"In the meantime, please remember to take deep breaths. Oxygen will help with the recovery."

While she was doing that, she noticed her stomach was churning. "I think I'm hungry."

"I'll get you food."

"Wait! Please lock the doors if you're going to leave me alone here."

He didn't ask why. She heard the heavy locks click. Despite the rustic appearance, the house must have been equipped with cutting edge technology. JARVIS went downstairs through the floor.

Ana didn't trust her own mental stability after everything she had been through. She didn't trust herself to be anywhere near Morgan unsupervised. JARVIS had seen her fears. He thought they were unnecessary, but he also knew he couldn't change her mind, so there would be no arguments.

Equilibrium. She had missed that the most.

She got out of the bed, and walked around. The room had a balcony, but its door had been locked as well. She crossed to the wardrobe and opened it. As expected, none of her old clothes were here. JARVIS had filled this new wardrobe with t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, sweatpants, sandals, and sneakers. No high-heeled shoes or tight dresses she used to hate, but forced herself to wear anyway. She wasn't going to need such things anymore. Morgan was the Stark heiress now. Hopefully, she wouldn't be cruel to herself like Ana had been.

Suddenly, being alone with herself overwhelmed her. Or, it was an absurd fear of a certain Titan coming out of a portal and snatching her away. She was on the verge of a panic attack.

"Ana, are you alright?" FRIDAY asked.

"I don't want to be alone."

"You're not. I'm here."

"No… No, I need someone to _physically _be in this room with me! Please call JARVIS back!"

"I already have."

JARVIS entered the room, this time through the door. He couldn't make the sandwich he had brought intangible. He put the plate down, and came to embrace her at once. He told her everything was going to be alright, again and again.

Soon, she calmed down, and ate her sandwich in silence.

"Have you seen the bathroom?" he asked afterwards.

"No." She opened the door to the en-suite bathroom. It looked rustic, too, but the tub and the shower seemed to have every feature imaginable. "Hmm. This seems promising…"

"I'll leave you to it, then."

"JARVIS? How many times do I have to beg you not to leave me? Do you want me to have another panic attack?"

"Are you sure _this_ is not going to give you one?"

"Why, you've seen me naked before."

"I told you, it might be different now."

"If it gets too much, I'll tell you to go wait in the corner."

"Good. You used to feel so safe around me when I was just a voice. I don't want that to change."

"It won't."

She quickly shed the scrubs she was wearing. They should probably burn them, just to be safe. They were from another universe, after all. She stepped into the shower and turned the water on. JARVIS joined her, helped her wash her hair, her body. Yes, it was an intimate experience, but he was also being quite practical about it. Once she was squeaky clean, he fetched a white, fluffy bathrobe and wrapped it around her. His nanites dried themselves instantly.

Ana raised her eyebrows, impressed. "Is it weird that I'm jealous of my boyfriend's hardware?"

"A bit."

She picked up the hairdryer on the counter.

"I need a haircut," she commented, drying her hair. She would normally never wear her hair this long. Thanos had made her. It had probably reminded him of Gamora. She pulled her hair over her shoulder to take a closer look, and that was when she saw the silvery threads in the mirror. They were her own hair. She was almost going to drop the dryer if it hadn't been for JARVIS. He turned it off and put it aside.

"Why is my hair going gray?" she cried. "I'm not that old!"

"Stress is a known factor for premature gray hair…"

She knew it was such a superficial, immature thing to worry about, but suddenly seemed so important that she started crying.

"Ana…"

"I just don't want to see anything that reminds me of the time Thanos stole from me!"

"That's easy." A soft glow emitted from his chest and surrounded them both. She felt a warmness around her, signaling a change she couldn't quite describe. It was almost like taking another refreshing shower. Then it ceased, and he encouraged her to look into the mirror. This time, her hair was a few inches shorter, and there were no grays. In fact, she looked exactly like she had been before the Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian had come to New York for the Time Stone, except, of course, she was still in the bathrobe.

"See?" he asked.

"Thanks, JARVIS."

"Anytime. In fact, this is how we're going to live from now on. I told you I wouldn't lose you, didn't I?"

Ana didn't know what to say. The whole thing still felt too good to be real. "I think I'll just go back to sleep. Wake me up before sunrise, will you? I want to watch the sunrise."

"As you wish."

They went to bed together. They both knew JARVIS couldn't sleep, but he took Ana into his arms and remained still until she dozed off.

* * *

"Good morning, Miss Stark."

Ana smiled, but refused to open her eyes.

"You asked me to wake you up before dawn."

"I did, didn't I?"

"Come on, we don't want to miss it."

With his help, she got out of the bed, and got dressed quickly. They went out to the balcony. There was a flight of stairs that led down to the backyard. They climbed down the steps, holding hands, and walked toward the lake. The air smelled so fresh. The earliest birds had started chirping. When was the last time she had heard a bird chirp? She didn't remember. There were lots of trees as well. They were walking on a carpet of dried leaves that had fallen from them. They were crunching beneath their feet with each step. Every now and then, Ana was touching a tree trunk.

"I never thought I'd see this again. Our poor little planet, intact…"

"Did you honestly think death would stop Mr. Stark?"

"I guess I didn't want to get hopeful."

They were now standing on the edge of the lake. The sun had started rising. "Knowhere," she said suddenly. "I like the Knowhere plan."

During the mental amalgamation last night, JARVIS had shown her the various plans he had made for their future, knowing Ana wouldn't take the risk of hiding here forever.

The planet—technically, it wasn't a planet, but the severed head of a Celestial—was abandoned ever since Thanos had burnt it to the ground when he had come for the Reality Stone. Its valuable natural resources were unclaimed. Before that, it had been a black market hub. JARVIS was hoping to legitimize the extraction and trading of these resources, make Knowhere the first Terran colony, and the first Stark Industries outpost in space. He would be in charge of it; he could build all the devices he needed for this project and they would work in harmony under his command. After seeing the equilibrium of cyberspace, Ana knew this was a piece of cake for an android. Plus, no one would ever know she was there with him.

"It's the best thing we can do to build a future for Morgan."

"I'll start making the arrangements when you're ready."

"I am ready. When I see Pepper, I want to be able to give her some reassurance."

"Ana, I know this is why you've been avoiding Ms. Potts, but no one's bothered by your presence here, I promise." Of course, he had seen her reservations, too.

"JARVIS, Dad pulled me out from another universe. Of course they're not going to tell me to pack up and leave now. But it doesn't change the fact that my presence here puts everyone in danger."

"Well, if it's going to make you feel better, I can leave to make the necessary arrangements right now."

"You're never going to get tired of taking care of me, are you?"

"You're my purpose, Miss Stark."

"Only you can make the word 'purpose' sound so romantic." Ana wrapped her arms around his neck and rose on her toes to kiss him. He was a lot taller than she was. He pulled her up to make things easier for her, and kissed her back. Neither of them wanted to break the kiss, ever, but at some point, Ana's lungs needed air, so he put her down.

"Are you sure you can make it to the cabin by yourself?"

"I want to at least try. Go!"

In a flash of blue light, he disappeared. Even though Ana was feeling better today, she decided not to test her limits. She lost no time returning to the cabin, and found Pepper anxiously waiting for her on the porch. She could see that giving Ana the space she needed hadn't been easy for her. She looked too restless.

Ana had missed her, too.

They ran to each other. Pepper hugged her, rocked her back and forth, kissed and stroked her hair, then she pulled herself back to take a good look at her.

"I'm sorry I missed the wedding," was the first thing Ana said. She didn't know what else to say.

"My poor baby… It's okay." She pulled Ana into her arms again. "Wait, where's JARVIS?"

"He's gone to run some errands. We've decided to live on Knowhere."

She let Ana go to cross her arms. "What's the hurry?"

Ana shrugged.

"Ana…"

"It's okay, Pep. I want this."

"We'll discuss it later. You're probably dying to meet Morgan… Come on."

"Pepper, wait!"

"What?"

"I love Morgan. I haven't even seen her, and I already love her more than anything else, but I understand if you don't want me anywhere near her."

Ana was a monster. Pepper had every right not to want a monster around her daughter.

"Okay, now I'm offended. Come." She grabbed Ana's hand and dragged her into the cabin, to Morgan's nursery. It was an attic room, pretty cozy. A lot more modest than Ana's Malibu Mansion room, but there was no harm in that. Extravagance wasn't what had made Ana's childhood a happy one. Of course, Morgan would have the money to have anything she wanted when she grew up. Ana was personally going to see to that. But for now, a happy childhood was all she wanted for her little sister.

There was a crib in the middle of the room, and Morgan was in it, eyes wide open. Ana felt like the center of the universe had just shifted. It was, and would always be, Morgan from now on.

"Ma-ma!" Morgan said, waving her arms at Pepper.

"She talks!" Ana exclaimed. She was already proud of her sister. But she was also sad upon realizing how much she had missed.

Pepper picked her up. "Well, it's still more 'babbling' than 'talking,' but she's getting there. Tony said you said your first word when you were 9 months old."

Ana highly doubted "mama" was among her first words. "Still, we should be careful not to say my name around her. We can't risk her picking it up."

"Do you want to hold her?"

Ana was going to refuse. She had literally zero experience with babies, and she didn't want to hurt Morgan. She seemed so fragile… But Morgan smiled at her, extended her tiny arms expectantly when she realized she was being given to Ana, and no matter how ridiculous it sounded, Ana couldn't bring herself to disappoint something so beautiful and pure.

So, she took Morgan into her arms, inhaled her scent, kissed her delicate face, knowing this was the same sister she had once seen in a vision. All the while, she couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't deserve her, though.

"Thank you, Pep. I know I don't deserve your trust, but thank you."

"Nonsense."

"No, it's not. The truth is, Thanos gave me everything I'd ever wanted. Power, respect, knowledge, resources… I had _everything_. I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted to do it. No one would dare to defy me, accuse me of playing god. Honestly, just swap Thanos with Dad, and I would've never complained."

"But you didn't have Tony, so you hated that life. And when you finally had the chance to avenge him, you didn't hesitate to leave it behind."

Ana didn't know what to say. How could Pepper ignore the confession she had just made?

"It's okay, Ana. Morgan is yours, too. And I trust you. If I died today, I'd die knowing my daughters would take good care of each other."

"Please, no more talk of death. I'm so done with death."

She smiled. "You should go see Tony. He's in the garage."

"Okay." She was going to put Morgan back into the crib, but Pepper stopped her.

"Take Morgan with you. You're allowed to spend as much time with her as possible while you're here."

"Speaking of Dad, you should know he's already planning a vow renewal."

"Oh, I know. And this time, you're being my maid of honor. There's no escape from the ugly pink dress."

Ana laughed.

"I'm just kidding. It's not going to be pink, and it's certainly not going to be ugly." She kissed Ana one last time before pushing her out of the door.

In the meantime, Morgan looked quite comfortable in her arms. It surprised Ana, but she wasn't complaining. On her way out, a collection of pictures on a table caught her attention, and she stopped to take a closer look. Some wedding pictures, pictures of Morgan as a newborn, even a picture of JARVIS and Vision together… Judging by the background, the last one must have been taken in Wakanda. No pictures of Ana, of course.

"You're going to be so loved, Morgs," she murmured. "You're never going to feel unloved, growing up. I know I didn't. And you won't be allowed to know it for a long time, but I love you, too."

No answer was going to come from Morgan, so it was time to resume the search. Funny, she didn't feel "alone" while she had Morgan. Her presence had a soothing effect on Ana.

She found their father outside, tending the garden, and that triggered some certain flashbacks.

_Shit…_

Her dad's face beamed with joy at first, but it didn't take him long to realize something was wrong.

"Please take Morgan," she managed to say. He didn't argue, thankfully. With one arm carrying Morgan, he used the other to lead her a swing seat by the lake.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"I'll be okay."

He stood behind her, slowly rocking the chair while humming a song to Morgan. They stayed like that until they heard a car approach.

"It's Happy," he said when Ana gave him a questioning look. "He's here to drive Pepper to work."

Ana got off the chair and ran to the house again. She had to see him. She had to see Rhodey, too, and then meet her grandmother as well, but she would rather wait until she wasn't such a mess.

Happy Hogan emerged from the car. And the look on his face… Ana found it incredible how well he understood their struggles even though he was never really a part of the superhero world.

"Hi, Happy…"

"Look at you! I don't believe you've been gone for 8 years!"

"JARVIS, he used the Time Element on me… I—"

He ran to hug her. "Damn it, kid. I'm not letting another alien freak anywhere near you, do you hear me?"

"Thank you, Happy." She didn't know what else to say. And no other words were necessary, because they were both crying now. They only broke the hug when Pepper came out.

"I can cancel today's meeting," she suggested. "We can spend the day together, as family."

"Thanks, Pepper, but no. People can get suspicious."

"Ana, the whole world knows I have a six-month-old at home. I can just tell them Morgan is sick or something. Nothing suspicious about that."

"It's fine. It was good to see Happy, but I got things I should sort out on my own before any family meetings."

"If you say so… I'll see you in the evening." She didn't insist even though she seemed reluctant to go to work.

Ana gave her a hug. Her dad and Morgan were now here as well, so Pepper kissed them goodbye before getting into the car and Happy drove her away.

"Feeling better?" her dad asked once they were alone again.

"Much better."

"I thought this place would be… peaceful enough for you, but I guess we're going to have to be more careful."

"Dad, I got flashbacks from you picking tomatoes! How could you have known that?"

"Well, this little princess wants her sister back," he swiftly changed the subject. But indeed, Morgan was struggling to get back into Ana's arms. Ana took it from their father, and she calmed down immediately.

"Look at you! You two have already become inseparable."

"Yep," she said, cooing Morgan. "She's my favorite person in the whole universe."

"_Her_?" he gasped. "What about me?"

"Dad, are you actually jealous of the attention your infant daughter gets?"

"Maybe."

"You still _are_ a big baby…"

"I am. Sue me." He put an arm around Ana, kissed her cheek, and Morgan's, too. Then he took them into the garage. The Quantum Platform was still here.

"We should probably put that thing away." It was a dangerous invention.

"Yeah, I'll take care of that today. Where's JARVIS, by the way? Have you guys been having a good time?"

"If you're trying to embarrass me, it's not going to work."

"It was worth a try."

He winked at them, and revealed some kind of trapdoor in the corner. The stairs led to an underground section, where his _real_ workshop was. The Uru suit he had been talking about earlier was here, proudly on display, along with a few other reconstructed ones, probably for their nostalgic value.

Ana stood before the Uru suit he used to kill Thanos. Morgan was tapping on the glass.

"Yeah, I know, Daddy's our hero…"

"I wish you could've been there with me, kid. You deserved to be there."

Yes, after everything they had been through, they should have killed Thanos together. But that couldn't have happened, for many reasons. "Dad, I would've had a panic attack the moment I saw him again."

"I wouldn't have let you," he said, stroking her hair. "God, I could freeze time right now, just to look at you two forever… But yeah, I should probably start dismantling the time machine." He kissed them again before going upstairs. Ana offered to help, but he refused, telling her to go ahead and take a look around the shop instead.

She turned on the holotable to see what he had been up to lately. A couple of new custom car designs, a new irrigation system for the plants he and Pepper had been growing, a new decomposer, a pod for Morgan… Ana was quite absorbed in the blueprints when she felt something wet on her breast and jumped.

It was just Morgan trying to suckle her. And now she was crying because she must have been startled by Ana's reaction.

"Oh… I don't think they have what you want, Morgs. Sorry." She went upstairs. "Dad, Morgan is hungry…"

The portal had been mostly dismantled by now. They went to the kitchen. Her dad took out a bottle of breast milk Pepper must have expressed earlier—how that was even done was beyond Ana's comprehension—and thawed it in a thawer that reminded her of a centrifuge. Probably something he personally designed to thaw the milk quickly, but safely.

"It's actually an upgraded version of an old design," he explained, as if reading her thoughts.

"You designed a thawer for me?"

"I designed lots of stuff for you, kid."

"How did you even feed me when I was a baby?" Now that she thought about it, she had never asked that before.

"Well, we started with formulas, but then I found a milk bank. I didn't even know donated breast milk was a thing until Jarvis told me." He laughed, pouring the milk into a bottle. Ana gave Morgan to him. Yeah, she was learning how to handle a baby, but she still didn't want to risk choking her sister while trying to bottlefeed her.

He seemed like he was going to burst with love while feeding Morgan. To the rest of the world, this might be a new thing, but not to Ana. Ana knew she had been fed just like this as an infant herself, even though he wouldn't let others know how much love he was capable of back then.

"Thanks, Dad," the scene made her say.

He winked at her, and suddenly, she felt very guilty. She had to tell him.

"We're going to Knowhere," she blurted out.

He didn't seem shocked to hear that. "Knowhere, huh? Yeah, I figured you'd choose that route."

"Did you?"

"Come on, kid. Did you forget how well I know you?"

"Then you know why I have to go."

His shoulders sagged. "I do, but… Kid, I just got you back. I guess I_ am_ a big baby, after all."

"You can come see me whenever you want! The physical distance means nothing. With the Nexus, it will be like living in one big mansion. It's not like we're going to lose each other forever!"

"I know. The hardest part will be lying to Morgan."

"She can't know until she's old enough to keep such a crucial secret. We have to play this safe. It won't be easy, for any of us, but…"

He nodded dutifully. "Of course. It's not even up to discussion."

He still seemed sad about this. Ana came to put her hands on his shoulders, and leaned closer. "Dad, I know you hate lies. And you never liked sharing me either, but when you think about it, everything I love comes from you. Rhodey, Happy, Pepper, JARVIS, Morgan…You have no reason to be jealous. I'll always be _your _Ana first."


	73. Bonus Chapter #3

"Is there anything you want me to get you from Earth?" JARVIS asked, before his usual monthly trip to their home planet. As a human, Ana needed many things, things that couldn't be found or produced on Knowhere. Someone had to go get them for her, and JARVIS preferred to do it in person. He had other errands to run there as well, for he technically ran a branch of Stark Industries.

"Uhm, cheeseburger, maybe?"

"Cheeseburger it is. I hope to be back in an hour."

"Take your time. I'll be okay."

Ana kissed his lips before letting him teleport. After he left, she sighed, looking around the empty house. The interior reminded her of the Malibu Mansion. She could believe she was actually still in California, as long as she stayed indoors.

Even after 5 years, she still hated being alone. She thought of asking her dad to come and keep her company until JARVIS returned, but Pepper was on a business trip, so that wasn't an option. He couldn't leave Morgan. Besides, earlier today, they had discovered that like Pepper, Morgan was allergic to strawberries. _After _Morgan had eaten a whole bowl of them. She now had rashes all over her body.

She looked at the holotable. It said it was 8.00 PM in New York. If Morgan had been sick all day, she must have gone to bed by now. It might be safe to call her dad. If not, her dad wouldn't answer the call anyway, so Ana decided to make it.

He answered.

"Hey, Dad… How's she?"

"I gave her a bath, then rubbed hydrocortisone all over her body… She's asleep now. She'll probably be fine in the morning. So, don't commit genocide on the poor strawberries."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Dad…"

"Okay, okay."

"I just miss her so much."

"I know, honey."

"How did _you _do it?" She couldn't believe how he hadn't escaped Valhalla during those eight years, even though it would ruin their chances of destroying Thanos. Ana fantasized about revealing herself to Morgan every day, and every day it was getting harder, but she knew she could never actually do it either.

"Trust me, my mom had to talk me out of it every day."

She decided to talk about something else, because this conversation wasn't going to accomplish anything other than leaving them both depressed. "So, you got any plans for the night?"

"Clean up the house a bit, then go to Morgan's room and make sure she doesn't scratch herself in her sleep… You?"

"I'm waiting for JARVIS to return. He'll get me a cheeseburger."

"God, I miss cheeseburgers…"

"So, you'd choose cheeseburgers over eternal youth?"

"Hell no."

She laughed again. "Yeah, that's what I thought… I'll be hanging up now. Go keep an eye on Morgs, I don't want her to hurt herself."

"You sure? I can call Happy, and come to—"

"Dad, it's just for an hour or two. I can manage. I have to."

"Ana, there's no shame in PTSD. And there's no recovery deadline. You, of all people, should know that."

"I do know," she assured him softly.

"Okay. Love you, kid."

"I love you 3000." That was stealing her sister's line, but she wouldn't know, would she?

His blue hologram disappeared. Ana decided to go to the workshop and distract herself. Lately, she had been designing a portable lab, one that could be used in the Quantum Realm. If Infinity Stones and Elements were only effective in the universe they were created, plus the Quantum Realm, what about a Nexus created in the Quantum Realm? Would it work all across the Multiverse? It was an idea worth pursuing. It would probably give Hank Pym a heart attack if he ever found out, but Ana couldn't care less.

After the Earth had been put back together, its people had been given false memories. They believed they had been the victims of the Snap, along with the rest of the universe. That half of the population had died, but come back after Thanos had been defeated by Tony Stark. Collective false suffering. It was a necessary evil. The only way to make humans understand why they needed superheroes, why they had to be a part of a bigger universe, why things couldn't go back to the way they had been before New York. To make sure mistakes like the Sokovia Accords would never be made again.

For his family's sake, her dad had finally distanced himself from the Avengers for good. They now had no shortage of financial sponsors anyway. He still built stuff for the family, but defense was mainly Ana and JARVIS' responsibility now. Ana had accepted it gladly, so that her dad could focus on raising Morgan.

Currently, Ana's main obstacle was building a safe Particle Accelerator for the portable lab. Regular Particle Accelerators were dangerous enough, and she had to build one that could shrink to a subatomic level…

She froze when she saw the silent alarm notification on the screen. There was an uninvited guest in her house. She shivered. She hadn't been in a fight in a long time, even though she trained hard with JARVIS. It wasn't the fight itself that terrified her. It was the violence, the need to channel into her inner darkness, to become Death again. She didn't want to be that person. But there was an intruder here, and they were about to discover Ana's secret. She couldn't let them leave this place alive. She was going to have blood on her hands today.

The nanites that formed her clothes turned into an armor as she made her way upstairs, to the living room, where the intruder currently was. She raised her palm, ready to shoot a blast as soon as she spotted a movement.

The intruder was doing the same.

"Freeze, or be disintegrated!"

Ana fell on her knees, very, very glad that the helmet obscured her face. The intruder took off the helmet that was actually a part of her mom's armor and put it aside. Ana knew what Morgan looked like, even before she had grown up to become the girl she had seen in that vision Thanos had shown her. Thanos was many things, but he was no liar.

And of course, she had been receiving countless videos and pictures from her dad every day. Morgan eating, sleeping, playing in the garden, watching movies with Pepper… But none of them could have prepared Ana for seeing her in person.

She ran to Ana's side and began to shake her. "Ana? Ana? Don't be scared, I was just playing…"

_She knows my name…_

Ana took a deep breath to compose herself, and commanded the armor to melt back into the clothes. They did. Morgan looked at her with the loveliest smile ever. "Hi…"

"How—what are you doing here, young lady?"

"I came to meet you."

"Meet me? Do you even know who I am?"

"You're my sister."

The words made Ana want to kill herself. She had been so careful… They all had. But not careful enough, obviously.

"What makes you think that?" she asked as nonchalantly as she could.

"I heard you talking to Daddy."

So, that was where they had been sloppy… They always had those video calls late at night, while Morgan was fast asleep, or they had thought they did… She must have overheard them tonight.

Maybe she could still fix this. "Well, you clearly have made a mistake. I do business with your father. That's why we sometimes talk."

She rolled her eyes. If Ana weren't so upset, the sight would give her a good chuckle. "You call him 'Dad!'"

_Shit…_ "What else did you hear?" Now that it was clear they couldn't fool Morgan, she had to see how bad the situation was.

"You said you miss me."

"Is that why you c-came?" Ana was trying to keep her voice steady, but she still choked on the last word. There was something too heartbreaking about Morgan's innocent courage. She had crossed the universe just because she had heard a stranger say she missed her so much.

Morgan nodded, and when Ana started crying—she just couldn't help it—she snuggled closer and wiped the tears away. "Don't cry… I'll go back if you don't want me."

"Of course I want you! I just… wasn't expecting to meet you anytime soon." Ana put her hands on Morgan's tiny shoulders. After five years, she was finally holding her little sister again. It wasn't right, it was dangerous, but it still felt damn good.

"Why were you hiding from me?"

Ana let out a deep sigh. Now, how was she going to explain all that shit she had been through to a five-year-old?

"MORGAN?" their father's anxious voice came from upstairs.

Morgan giggled. "Ooops."

Ana shook her head scoldingly. "See? Now you scared Daddy! Wait here. Don't touch anything."

"Okay."

The teleportation device they had here was in the attic. So, she ran upstairs, taking two steps at a time. They met midway.

"She's safe."

He sighed in relief.

But Ana wasn't relieved at all. "Dad, how did this happen? We thought we were so careful…"

"She must have been pretending to be asleep. I went to take out the trash, when I came back, she was gone!"

"Makes sense. She knew I missed her. I wonder how long has she been eavesdropping on us… She must have followed you to the underground workshop at least once. Wasn't the trapdoor locked?" Ana knew her dad had moved the teleportation device to the underground workshop after Morgan had developed a habit of sneaking into the garage.

"She must have found the passcode."

"Dad, what are we going to do? She knows I'm her sister. I tried to deny it, but she didn't believe me."

"We'll figure something out."

"I looked the most dangerous man the universe in the eye, and fooled him every day for eight years! But I can't outsmart the toddler in my living room!"

He hugged her. He actually seemed amused. "Don't beat yourself up. That one's going to outsmart us all. And she's sneaky, like you."

"Seriously, Dad, _what_ are we going to do? Ask JARVIS to wipe out her memories? I can't agree to that." JARVIS could make that a painless process, but it still seemed like a too cruel a thing to do to a child.

"Hey, hey, hey… Relax. What's done is done. Let's just make the best of it."

She followed him back to the living room. Morgan was waiting.

"Maguna…"

"Hey, Daddy…"

"You know you're in big trouble, right, young miss?"

She nodded.

He picked her up. "So, you knew you weren't supposed to come here?"

She nodded again.

"But you came anyway?"

"I did."

"Why?"

"I wanted to know why you were hiding her."

"You could've just asked me."

"But you were hiding her from _me_. Why, Daddy? Have I been a bad girl?"

So, she thought this was _her_ punishment, which added even more to Ana's guilt.

"Not until tonight."

"No?"

"We're not hiding her from you, honey. We're hiding her from everyone else."

"Why? Has_ she_ been a bad girl?"

"No, but that's what people thought once." He put her down on the couch. "Looks like it's time you learned the story of your badass big sister. Are you ready?"

She nodded eagerly.

He gestured Ana to join them. "You, too, kid. Come here."

She did, even though her whole body was tense with fear. She didn't know how exactly he was going to make that "story" kid-friendly, but he looked like he knew what he was doing. He pulled Morgan to sit on his lap, and wrapped an arm around Ana's shoulders.

"There was a time everybody knew Ana," their dad started. "She was both a brilliant scientist like me, and an excellent businesswoman like Mommy. She was also a spy and a superhero."

"Wow…"

"Yep. We were so happy, and I was so proud of her. Then, Thanos came to our world. Do you remember what I told you about Thanos?"

"Big, purple alien?"

"That's the one… Anyway, when Thanos saw how happy we were, he got jealous, and kidnapped Ana. He told everyone in the universe that she was his daughter, and she was very, very bad, just like him."

"Did they believe him?"

"They did. And your sister became very sad. She had to escape to another universe, one that was just like ours, but people were happier there, because Ana warned them about Thanos in time. She had to stay there until I defeated Thanos and brought her home. I made people forget her. Because if they remember, they will still think she's a bad girl, so she hides here now."

Ana held her breath. She didn't know if Morgan was going to believe the story, or not. Would she have believed such bullshit when she was 5? She didn't know that either.

"Why don't we just tell them she's a good girl?"

"Because not everyone is as smart as you are. They won't understand."

"Which is why you can't tell anybody," Ana was compelled to add.

Morgan came to fling her tiny arms around Ana's neck. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Ana didn't know what to say, so she just held her baby sister in her arms. This felt so good, so impossibly good… She could hold all the power in the universe in her hands, and it would be nothing, compared to holding Morgan. Her dad was right; they might as well make the best of the situation.

"Thank you, Morgs," she whispered. "I'm already feeling safer."

"She's so pretty, like Mommy," she said, stroking Ana's hair. Ana wondered if she should call Pepper "Mom" for a time, to prevent any confusion on Morgan's part. She didn't want things to get any more complicated for her than they already were. But that was a question for another day.

"Oh, but you're prettier!" she replied, snuggling her.

"Daddy, can I stay here?"

"I don't know. This is her place, she makes the rules here."

"Can I stay here?" she asked Ana this time.

"Of course. You can stay as long as you want."

JARVIS appeared right before them. He seemed confused for a moment, but then, he must have analyzed the security logs upon his return, because he gave Ana an understanding look.

"Hey, JARVIS," Morgan said. She knew JARVIS. He visited them for holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and stuff. It was the only way for Ana to send her gifts. And they had hoped it would make things easier for Morgan when it was time for her to learn the truth, but that was no longer necessary.

"Hello, Miss Morgan. What a lovely surprise to see you here."

She turned to their dad. "Daddy, I'm hungry."

"Good thing I've brought two cheeseburgers," JARVIS said. Ana took the cheeseburgers from them, set them on the table, and placed Morgan on a chair. The two sisters ate their cheeseburgers while the non-human men watched them.

Morgan must have noticed the awkwardness of the situation. "Daddy never eats."

Ana nodded. "Yeah, that's because Daddy… got an upgrade."

"Which is good," he added. "More juice pops for you."

"Do you have any juice pops here?" she asked Ana.

"Nope. Sorry."

She frowned as if not having juice pops in your house was a great offense. "Why not?"

"I don't know, I just don't like them much… But then, maybe I'll keep some around for you from now on."

She smiled, then turned to JARVIS again. Her questions seemed endless. "JARVIS? Are you hiding here, too? Were you a bad boy?"

"I'm not hiding here. I live with Ana."

"Why?"

"Because I love her."

"Like Daddy loves Mommy?"

"Exactly."

Now that they had finished their cheeseburgers, she came to Ana's side, and tried to pull her up on her feet. "Can you show me around? Please, Ana…"

"Isn't it, like, way past your bedtime?"

"But this is your house! You make the rules! Don't send me to bed!"

Damn, she learned fast. Ana looked at her dad, but he just shrugged. Morgan was super-excited to have found herself a big sister; she wasn't going to sleep anytime soon. "Well, Daddy was never big on bedtime anyway."

She picked her up, and showed her around the house. But she didn't take her down to the labs, because once they went there, Morgan would probably forget about sleep completely. The labs were for another day.

"Ana, how old are you?" she suddenly asked.

"Good question. I got no idea."

Her little face wrinkled in confusion. "Why?"

_I traveled back to 2009 in 2026, died there, stayed dead for 10 years, came back to 2026 in my own timeline, but JARVIS has been using the Time Element to keep me young ever since. How old does that make me?_ "Because I'm a time-traveler, remember?" she said in the end. "I spent a lot of time hiding from Thanos in the past of another universe. There's no way to accurately calculate my age anymore."

"Yeah, makes sense… What's this place?"

Ana had been discreetly leading her to her bedroom in the meantime, so that she could put her into the bed. Luckily, there was a balcony here, so that she could show her this world without having to go outside.

She took her out to the balcony, so that she could see the mines, the refineries, and all the other structures she and JARVIS had built since they had come here.

Morgan immediately covered her nose and screwed her face in disgust. Yeah, Ana sometimes forgot how bad the air smelled here. She had got used to it.

"Yeah, I know, it's not the prettiest world. But it helps me do something important."

"What do you do?"

"We harvest precious raw materials. We sell most of them, but we use some of it for our experiments and build cool stuff."

"You have a garage here?"

"You just love garages, don't you?"

She nodded eagerly.

"Well, I have this huge garage downstairs. But I'll take you there in the morning, if you go to bed now. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Come on, let's get back inside."

Inside the house, the air was filtered, so the smell wouldn't bother Morgan. She put her in the queen-sized bed, then went to change into her pajamas. Morgan's eyes were still wide-open when she returned. She slipped into bed and pulled her close to her body.

"You feel like Mommy," Morgan commented, nestling into her chest.

"Yeah, but Mommy never lets you come here again if she finds out I'm keeping you up."

"But you'll still come to see me, right?"

"Sleep!"

The lights in the room faded. Ana decided to wait until Morgan fell asleep before going downstairs. There was so much to discuss, so many new arrangements to make… They couldn't afford to be sloppy again.

"Ana?" Morgan whispered.

"Sleep," she repeated even more firmly.

"But it's important."

Ana gave in. "Okay, what is it?"

"I love you 3000."


End file.
